None (all dates
of this type were struck at the Philadelphia mint)
1815
Half Eagle is one of the rarest and lowest mintage gold
coins ever made in the United States, the 1815 half
eagle has been an extremely popular issue since the
mid 19th century. The total mintage of 1815 Half Eagle
was just a mere 635 pieces and of these only eleven
to fourteen pieces are known to exist. Most of these
remain in remarkably good condition for an early gold
coin, as the majority is graded About Uncirculated and
finer, and most are not cleaned or damaged as many other
examples of this type are. This is a further indication
that the rarity of this issue was soon understood, and
that collectors tried desperately to acquire these coins
within half a century of its mintage. While many 1815
half eagle coins, in fact nearly all of this type were
melted in the decades after their minting, a relative
large number of the mintage is still known to exist.
All 1815 Half Eagle pieces were struck from a single
die pair, and are believed to have been delivered
in a single batch on November 3, 1815. The bullion
that was used for the coinage of this issue came from
three depositors, a small number even for the time.
The obverse die was newly created, with a widely spaced
date. The reverse was first used in 1813, and had
struck coins dated 1814 as well. By the time it was
used in 1815 it had clashed on multiple occasions,
and was lapped. Bass-Dannreuther, in the Early U.S.
Gold Coin Variety book note that the die states seen
in 1814 might exist, but that all known pieces feature
a lapped reverse die to make sure it was fit for coinage.
Massive melting of
American gold coins took place both in the United
States as well as in Europe. Breen notes that approximately
40,000 new gold coins of the Capped Bust type were
melted in Paris in 1831. These no doubt included pieces
that were dated 1815, but because of the small mintage
it seems logical that the number included was extremely
small. Perhaps the depositors of the gold who requested
these coins released all coins in circulation, where
they were needed after the War of 1812. The few uncirculated
pieces perhaps were never paid out to the public,
gathered dust for a few decades, and when it was realized
that they might be potentially valuable were never
paid out. As five dollars was a large amount to own
in the early 19th century other pieces perhaps only
circulated shortly, after which they were saved by
banks until it was once again realized that the mintage
had been small and that the pieces potentially were
worth more than its face value.
Although most rosters
of known coins list a total of twelve pieces known,
one of these has only been rumored because of a photograph
in an auction catalog which appears different. Five
more are permanently impounded in museums, with one
of these rumored as well. This is the so-called Swedish
Mint example, which was first mentioned in a 1870s
letter when Joseph Mickley mentioned the piece in
an interview after seeing it on a trip to Europe.
It is unknown if this coin remains in Stockholm, or
if it has been moved to another location sometime
during the last 130 years. Two specimens are in the
Smithsonian, both in lower uncirculated grades. Another
is in the Connecticut State Library, and one of the
finest known remains in the core collection of the
Harry W. Bass Jr Research Foundation. Harry Bass owned
a second example, graded PCGS AU-58 which sold during
the sale of part of his collection in October 1999.
As a result, only six 1815 Half Eagle pieces are available
to collectors at most. The finest of these is in gem
condition, or MS-65. Another MS-64 1815 Half Eagle
piece is known as well as one lower graded uncirculated
piece. The remaining 1815 Half Eagle pieces are in
About Uncirculated condition, with one previously
graded as being Extremely Fine. In all, this is an
extremely rare coin which always attracts a lot of
attention when offered at public auction, which it
seldom does.
