NNP

1798 $1 Large Eagle, Pointed 9, Close Date, B-31, BB-115, R.4, AU58+ NGC. CAC. Bowers Die State II, or possibly earlier, with faint evidence of the reverse die crack to the right wing tip (to the viewer's left). A faint guide line is visible inside the reverse border at about 12:30. While certainly not a rare variety, the 1798 B-31, BB-115 dollar is elusive in high grades. Only two AU examples appeared in the Notable Specimens section of the first edition of Q. David Bowers Silver Dollar Encyclopedia, and that number increased to five AU examples in the second edition. The present coin did not appear in either of those lists and is finer than any that are recorded. This piece is the finest that we have ever offered, and it is clearly finer than either of the AU55 pieces that we have offered, one in 2003 and the other in 2008. This impressive example is highly lustrous with light champagne toning over the satiny silver surfaces on both sides. Scattered marks are evident, but all are trivial. Rings of blue, amber, and gold patina cling to the peripheries on each side. Ex: Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society.

Heritage Newman IX, November 2017, lot 15096, realized $33600. Images and description courtesy of Heritage Auctions.