1804 Half Eagle

HBCC#:

3085

Breen#:

6442

BD#:

5

Judd#:

n/a

Pollock#:

n/a

Harry Bass acquired this rare variety from the Norweb Collection. Walter Breen was not aware of the existence of this die marriage when his monograph was published in 1966; however, he described the variety in a small publication a few years later. In New Varieties of $1, $2.50 and $5.00 United States Gold, Breen noted that two examples of this die marriage were in the Norweb Collection. Note the die crack from the eagle’s wing to the E of AMERICA. This same die crack is visible at HBCC-3087, 3088, and 3089. This reverse die was used with four different obverse dies.

Provenance:

From the Bowers and Merena Galleries sale of the Norweb Collection, October 1987, Lot 750. Previously from Stack's sale of the Farish-Baldenhofer Collection, November 1955, Lot 1213.

Obverse:

Reverse:

Commentary:

"Obverse: Small 8 punched over a large 8. Perfect 1 punched north over first 1, with top left serif touching lowest hair lock. 0 repunched north. Medium sized 4 not repunched; its top touching drapery. Not clashed. Reverse: That of 1803C, with crack: edge - (M)E - top leaf - feathers - shield - left shield point - right wing - edge. (I)T repunched left (with broken T punch having no lower right serif) over thinner T punch. Clashed."