Two obverse designs were produced, the Flowing Hair type by Charles E. Barber (who was chief engraver of the Mint at the time) and the Coiled Hair type by George T. Morgan (he of 1878 silver dollar fame). On the reverse, instead of IN GOD WE TRUST, the motto appears as DEO EST GLORIA, or "God is Glorious." Mintages of the various issues are not known with certainty, but the Guide Book estimates 425 for the 1879 Flowing Hair, the issue most often encountered, just 10 for the 1879 Coiled Hair, 15 for the 1880 Flowing Hair, and 10 for the 1880 Coiled Hair. Actual mintages were probably slightly higher than those figures.

Budget Recommendations: Gold-plated copper and aluminum $4 patterns can make nice fillers and, mounted in holders, cannot be easily differentiated from gold issues (which prompts me to suggest that if you ever consider buying any $4 in a slab, insist on knowing the weight of the piece. I know of a buyer who was fooled when he purchased a gold plated copper coin for a gold coin price!).

Recommendations for the Connoisseur: Most collectors buy an 1879 Flowing Hair to illustrate the denomination. Forming a complete set of four 1879-1880 varieties is in the dreamland category, but several numismatists have done it in the past.

Elite Recommendations: Visit dreamland, as just noted!

Early Half Eagles (1795-1838)

Half eagles or $5 pieces, a denomination produced intermittently from 1795 to 1929, include some of the greatest rarities in American coinage. Particularly famous is the 1822 $5, of which just three are known, two of them being in the National Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. The third, the Eliasberg coin, was auctioned by my firm in 1982 for $687,500, the same price realized by the unique 1870-S $3. At the other end of the spectrum, numerous half eagles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were produced by the millions and were used in quantity for large international transactions and are very common today.

In general, half eagle designs follow those of contemporary quarter eagles. There are, however, numerous differences, one of them being the first half eagle design, with Capped Bust to Right obverse and Small Eagle reverse, which has no equivalent in the quarter eagle series, but which is similar to that used on the contemporary $10 piece. $5 pieces of the Small Eagle reverse type were minted through 1798. Those dated 1798 are extreme rarities, and fewer than a dozen are known to exist.