Lot 1886
1801 BD-1 Rarity 5. PCGS graded AU-58. A nice untoned example with lots of luster evident. A satiny About Uncirculated with eye-appeal to match its elevated grade. Original mint luster graces the light golden surfaces. Sharply struck for the date, easily finer in sharpness than many in notionally higher grades. We find the rim dentils are crisply defined on both obverse and reverse. The surface is smooth, pleasing in its visual impact, and free of criticism. If one has to point to any diminishment it would be to several areas on the reverse where the surface has a slight granularity to it. This is noticeable around the stars directly over the eagle and in the lower left portion of the shield and arrows. It could be that the impact from the dies (these were struck using a manually operated large screw press at the mint) was insufficient to send all the metal from the planchet into the die recesses. The resulting minor roughness is just unstruck planchet surface. All lettering is crisply detailed. The eagle’s wings feathers complete, the neck, eye, and beak sharp as well. A full E PLURIBUS UNUM shows on a sharp-edged scroll.
The peak of production for the design occurs this year, when 44,344 1801 Capped Bust Eagles were struck. Two varieties are known, with one obverse die bearing a Close Date and another obverse bearing a Wide Date. Although Eagles were delivered well into 1802, that year’s production is believed to have been from 1801 dies. No 1802 Capped Bust Eagles exist (PCGS # 8564) .
Estimated Value $20,000 - 23,000.
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