1813 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-2. Rarity-4. MS-63 (PCGS). CAC.

1813 Capped Head Left Half Eagle. BD-2. Rarity-4. MS-63 (PCGS). CAC.，Gorgeous in all regards, both sides of this half eagle exhibit full satin luster, vivid medium gold patina and an overall sharp strike. Advanced gold type collectors and early half eagle enthusiasts are sure to flock to this lovely Choice Mint State example.<p>As a series, the Capped Head Left half eagles struck from 1813 to 1834 are among the most challenging in all of U.S. numismatics. Most examples are from the first year, 1813, having been set aside by the contemporary public due to the novelty of the design. Most other issues and varieties are rare, if not noncollectible, since rising gold prices resulted in the wholesale destruction of pre-1834 U.S. gold coins through the mid 1830s. The present example represents the BD-2 die pairing, the scarcer of the two known for this issue. It is identifiable by the reverse die, since both varieties share the same obverse. For BD-2, the first letter S in STATES is nearly centered over the letter E in the Latin motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.<p>，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from our (Stacks) sale of the C. Ramsey Bartlett Collection, February 1966, lot 1060. Lot tag included.，