Another remarkable gold eagle from Harvey Jacobson, Jr.’s holdings will be offered in our Spring 2023 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo. This 1803 eagle is attributed as BD-2 and is graded AU-53 by PCGS with a CAC sticker.
The rare B-2 die marriage has a number of distinctive characteristics and seldom comes up for auction. It uses a reverse die unique to the marriage, thought to have failed early in its life, resulting in the issue’s rarity; the Jacobson example is one of just a handful thought to exist. BD-2 is the sole marriage in the early eagle series to feature 130 reeds on its edge.
Our cataloger describes the coin’s overall appearance: “The impression is nicely centered on both sides, and the borders are fully and uniformly dentillated. Handsome deep honey-orange patina is seen on both sides confirming the originality of this piece, with vivid reddish-rose highlights also evident under a light. Ample satin to modestly semi-prooflike finish remains, especially in the protected areas around the devices. We note only wispy handling marks, none of which are significant for the assigned grade. For provenance purposes there are three tiny nicks in the upper left obverse field between the back of Liberty’s cap and stars 7 and 8. BD Die State a/b.” This example is the plate coin used by Anthony Taraszka in his reference on early gold eagles.
We sold Jacobson’s impressive complete die marriage collection of 1795-1804 gold eagles on November 1 of this year, where its high-quality rarities and more common marriages realized strong prices. With its grade from PCGS and CAC approval, we’re confident that this coin will also attract strong bidding. This is an important opportunity for advanced gold specialists to acquire this rare marriage. When we offered this coin our 2019 Official ANA World’s Fair of Money auction, it realized $28,800, breaking the record price for the marriage. We look forward to seeing if it can break the record again in March!
For more information on the sale or to consign to an upcoming auction, call 800-458-4646 or email Info@StacksBowers.com.
