Coinage authority including specified weights and fineness of the eagle conforms to that of the half eagle. The Small Eagle reverse was used until 1797, when the large Heraldic Eagle replaced it. The early dates have variations in the number of stars, the rarest date being 1798. Many of these early pieces show file scratches from the Mint's practice of adjusting planchet weight before coining. No eagles were struck dated 1805 to 1837. Proofs of some dates prior to 1855 are known to exist, and all are rare.

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