1803 $10 Large Reverse Stars MS(PCGS#98565)

Summer 2026 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

2400

Grade

AU53

Price

19,520

Lot Description

A highly significant offering of an exceedingly rare early eagle die pairing. The obverse and reverse are fairly well struck, although since this is the sixth (and final) marriage for this obverse die the crispness of the devices has been rounded down by normal die wear. The reverse die was first used to strike the 1804 Crosslet 4 variety and then this 1803 variety, with similar rounding down of the devices. Handsome surfaces offer uniform medium straw-gold toning and pleasing luster in the protected areas.<p>This is the only known obverse die of the 1803 eagle. The reverse of the BD-6 marriage is identifiable by a leaf in the branch pointing between the letters RI in AMERICA and a broken left foot on the right stand of the device punch used for the letter As in the legend. As this variety was struck after the 1804 Crosslet 4, it was the final circulation strike issue of the denomination until the resumption of eagle production in 1838.<p>The obverse appears to be die state h, but early when the crack to star 5 is light. All known examples of this variety show extensive cracks on the reverse, specifically around the eagle's tail and through the letters in the word UNITED. Four tiny lumps (die rust?) over and around the eagle help to further identify this die.<p>With an estimated 15,017 or more coins struck, the 1803 as an issue has a respectable mintage by early eagle standards. Very few of those coins were produced from the BD-6 die pairing, however, with numismatic scholars estimating that just 300 to 600 examples of this variety were delivered. We have been able to positively confirm the existence of only nine 1803 BD-6 eagles, all but five of which are included in the list of "Significant Specimens" for the variety in the Taraszka early eagle reference. We have updated the provenances and added to the author's census to account for later auction appearances, as follows:<p>1 - <strong>PCGS MS-61.</strong> Ex our (Bowers and Merena's) Harry Einstein Collection sale, June 1986, lot 444; Heritage's Portland ANA Auction of August 1998, lot 7744; Anthony J. Taraszka; our sale of the Anthony J. Taraszka Collection, August 2019 ANA Auction, lot 4040.<p>2 - <strong>NGC MS-62.</strong> Ex our (Stack's) sale of September 1977, lot 1531; Heritage's Summer FUN Signature Coin Auction of June 2008, lot 2106; our Baltimore Auction of November 2021, lot 4127.<p>3 - <strong>NGC AU-53.</strong> Ex our Chicago ANA Sale of August 2014, lot 13240; Heritage's sale of the Poulos Family Collection, Part II, September 2019 Long Beach Signature Auction, lot 4961; Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr.; our sale of the Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection, Winter 2022 Auction, November, lot 4031.<p>4 - <strong>NGC AU-53.</strong> Ex Superior's sale of the Miguel Munoz Collection, Part III, June 1981, lot 362; Heritage's FUN Auction of January 2009, lot 4112; Heritage's Fort Worth ANA Signature Auction of March 2010, lot 2400; Heritage's Summer FUN Signature Auction of July 2010, lot 4718; our sale of the Dr. James A. Ferrendelli Collection, August 2014 ANA, lot 11116; our Rarities Sale, February 2016, lot 224; Heritage's sale of the Long Island Collection, August 2021 ANA Signature Auction, lot 3447. <em><strong>The present example</strong></em>.<p>5 - <strong>AU-55.</strong> Ex Superior's session of Auction '84, July 1984, lot 410; our (Bowers and Merena's) Estates of Philip M. Mann, Jr. and Glenn B. Smedley sale, September 1988, lot 538.<p>6- <strong>PCGS AU Details--Cleaned.</strong> Ex Heritage's Summer FUN Signature Auction of July 2025, lot 3173.<p>7 - <strong>ANACS AU-58 Details--Tooled, Cleaned.</strong> Ex our sale of the Harvey B. Jacobson, Jr. Collection, Spring 2023 Auction, March, lot 3239; our sale of the Harvey B. Jacobson Jr. Collection, Summer 2025 Global Showcase Auction, September, lot 3341.<p>8 - <strong>PCGS EF-45.</strong> Ex Heritage's sale of the R.M. Phillips Limited Partnership Collection, August 2009, lot 1297.<p>9 - <strong>NGC VG Details--Mount Removed.</strong> Ex Heritage's Charlotte ANA National Money Signature Sale of 2003, lot 6347; our Philadelphia Americana Sale of September 2011, lot 5967.<p>BD-6 and BD-2 are the leading rarities among 1803 eagle die varieties, each with a similar number of examples extant. Any offering of one of these is an important numismatic event for variety specialists, especially considering that this is the only early eagle variety not represented in the famed Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection. Destined to be a major prize for the winner of this lot.