1806 $5 Pointed 6, 8X5 Stars (Regular Strike)

The 1806 Pointed 6 is a small subset of the total mintage of 1806 Half Eagles. Based on population reports, the Pointed 6 appears to be approximately seven times more rare than the Round Top 6. The total population of the 1806 Pointed 6 is roughly that of the 1798 Small 8 over Large 7 and slightly more common than the 1799 Small Stars Reverse. However, a collector is miuch more likely to find a Mint State example of the 1806 Pointed 6 than either the 1798 Small 8 over Large 7 or the 1799 Small Stars Reverse. In fact, the PCGS CoinFacts Condition Census for the 1806 Pointed 6 starts at MS63 and tops out at MS65 (with the remarkable example from the D. Brent Pogue Collection).

Five different die varieties comprise the entire mintage of the 1806 Pointed 6, and all of those varieties are very scarce to very rare. While variety collecting among early Half Eagles is expensive today, there is enough competition to keep prices high for both the individual varieties and the type as a whole.

Many 1806 Pointed 6 Half Eagles are softly struck. The weakness is seen most often in the hair curls at the center of the obverse or where the scroll crosses the eagle's neck on the reverse. Also, weakness occurs at the upper left point of the shield and the adjacent feathers in the eagle's wing.

This is the scarcest Half Eagle of this type after 1798. Not only is the numeral 6 different than on the Round 6 variety but the star configuration is also different with 8 stars to the left and 5 to the right (as on earlier issues) compared to the 7 stars left and 5 stars right on the Round Top 6 variety. The stars to the left of Liberty are also much more widely spaced than on the Round 6 variety. Most specimens are softly struck in the centers. Choice uncirculated specimens are seldom available but the issue does not command as much of a premium over the other dates from 1800-1807 as it should based on its rarity.