5191

[L#5191] 1795 Sm Eagle $5 PCGS AU55

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / US Coins Start Price:7,500.00 USD Estimated At:30,000.00 - 40,000.00 USD
[L#5191] 1795 Sm Eagle $5 PCGS AU55
Graded About Uncirculated, this lovely specimen of the first design and year of the half eagle is a beautiful medium yellow gold. The obverse depicts Miss Liberty in a conical cap of the period, facing right. The hair details are exacting, more so than usual for 1795, with each strand nicely delineated. On the reverse is seen the "Small Eagle," supposedly modeled on the mint's own pet eagle "Peter" who, in this rendition, grasps a palm branch while holding in the air a wreath; surrounding this main device is the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The fields are clearly choicer than average.

Half eagles of this first year have become the focus of research for quite a few numismatic academics over the years. A number of different obverse and reverse die combinations were used, including dies that were stored for use as late as 1798, long after the mint had switched to a modified design for the eagle.