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1799 Eagle Two Coin Set - Small Stars Obverse and Large Stars Obverse

The numismatic adventure can be enriched by acquiring groups of coins in meaningful combinations. Sets of coins can run from two pieces to many. In the areas of rare date and early silver and gold coins we have established certain sets of special interest. They include the first and last of an issue, type sets, design sets, year sets, and those that are joined by historical events such as the Civil War. The coins of each set are specially selected for you and your collecting needs.

We are specialists in this area and will expertly and confidentially help you assemble a set similar to the one you see below, which is made up of pieces from the US Rare Coin Investments’ archives. We will cherry pick through millions of dollars of rare coins selecting only the finest quality pieces for your collection.

The 1799 eagle has a Small and Large Star variety but these, unlike the half eagle, are obverse stars. It seems that during production of the eagle coins, the Small Stars punch broke and was replaced with the Large Stars one. It was used for the rest of the year and continued in use through 1801, when it was replaced with another large stars punch with more finely pointed stars. The Small Stars obverse is considerably rarer than the Large Stars. PCGS has certified 147 Small Stars and 452 Large Stars examples.

The obverse design shows a profile of Liberty facing right. Below her is the date which is off center to the left. Between the date and the word LIBERTY on the left side of the coin are ­­­8 stars. Another 5 stars follow LIBERTY down to the bust. Liberty wears a large, soft cap. Her hair flows down and also shows on her forehead. The design was probably taken from a Roman engraving of a Greek goddess. Liberty’s cap was certainly not a Phrygian or liberty cap.

The liberty cap, emblematic of freedom, was worn by freed slaves and freed gladiators in Roman times. It was a close fitting cap used to cover a shorn head, which was one of the ways slaves were identified. Because of the way Liberty’s hair strands wrap around it, the oversized cap has been called a turban, and the design has been called the Turban Head because of it. The Type 2 reverse shows a heraldic eagle. (Type 1 showed a “small” eagle sitting on a palm branch holding a wreath in its mouth.)

However, for the heraldic eagle Scot mixed up the positions of the arrows and olive branch. The arrows held in the wrong claw signify defiant militarism. Either Scot made an error copying the image of the Great Seal, or he deliberately changed the symbolism in keeping with very warlike stance. Considering that the United States at this time was engaged in a naval war with France (the undeclared Franco-American War of 1798 to 1800, which took place on the East coast of North America and the Caribbean and resulted in the end of French privateer attacks on U.S. shipping), the latter is probably more likely. The French would be especially sensitive to a message within the heraldry, and the young United States was brash in that they had just defeated the super power, England in gaining independence. In the field above the eagle are thirteen stars and above them, an arc of clouds. A banner from wing to wing has the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.

1799 Eagle Small Stars Obverse1799 Eagle Small Stars Reverse - The BD-4 variety is an example of the Small Obverse Stars variety.

The obverse die, which was also used on BD-5, is identified by star 9, touching the Y in LIBERTY, and star 13 away from the bust. The reverse, which had previously been used with all die pairings for 1799 eagles, only has some minor differences to other dies used this year, most notably the O in OF centered over the right part of the cloud directly under it.

This die was retired after the use on this particular variety, and supposedly destroyed, like all early American dies. The illustrated coin is a PCGS AU55 example in an OGH (old green holder). The coin has only some minor friction wear on its highest points with minor scattered abrasion marks in the fields.

It is fresh with nearly full luster that highlights both sides. The strike is strong, with nearly all detail of Liberty’s hair and the eagle still visible, making it a strong upgrade candidate, and very close or at AU-58 quality. The medium orange-gold colors that are pleasing in hand further highlight both sides.

Approximate cost: VF $11,500; AU50 $21,500; MS60 $38,500


1799  Eagle Large Stars Obverse1799 Eagle Large Stars Obverse - The BD-10 variety is an example of the Large Obverse Stars variety.

It is one of only two varieties of 1799 Large Obverse Stars eagles. A leaf touches the I in AMERICA at its lower right. The lowest berry is under the right foot of the final A. The lower beak of the eagle touches the point of Star 12 and the upper beak almost touches another point. Star 12 touches the ribbon at the first upright of the U in UNUM.

The pictured coin is an NGC AU53 example. The coin has an exceptional obverse strike and an above average reverse strike. The centers of the stars and the strands of hair are fully detailed. Also full detailed are the upper part of the shield, the eagle’s wings, some of the stars above, and about half of the clouds.

There are full dentils on the reverse and about eighty percent of the obverse. Muted mint luster is seen in protected areas on both sides. Sufficient separation exists in the lines of Liberty’s hair at the top of the cap and at the ear as well as in the drapery to affirm the grade.

Approximate cost: VF $13,000; AU50 $22,500; MS60 $42,500


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