625

Lot 625 - 1798 Draped Bust Dollar. 15 stars on obverse NGC AU50

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:12,500.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 - 27,000.00 USD
Lot 625 - 1798 Draped Bust Dollar. 15 stars on obverse NGC AU50
1798 Draped Bust Dollar. Small eagle reverse, 15 stars on obverse. The popular (and rather scarce, come to think of it) small eagle 1798 which has 15 obverse stars. Well centered on a choice planchet, the rims are free from bumps, the surface outstanding on both sides, and the color "as you like it" with warm shades of medium gray and browish old-silver choiceness.

The bust of Miss Liberty was punched into the die, after which the letters of LIBERTY, the stars, and the digits in 1798 were all added with individual punches. In some instances, dies may have been made in advance with just the digits 179, with the final digit (8 or 9) to be added in the year it was used. This is believed to be what happened to make this 15-star obverse, from a left-over 1796 or 1795 die that sat on a shelf until 1798 when the 8 was finally impressed into it for striking 1798 dollars. (#6868)