1852 $10 Wass Molitor, Close Dt (Regular Strike)

In 1851, Wass, Molitor & Co. purchased the reverse die of the 1850 Dubosq & Co. $10 gold piece. Wass, Molitor, & Co. first paired this reverse with a rounded bust 1852 obverse, then a pointed bust 1852 obverse with a wide date, then this obverse (pointed bust, narrow date).

The extreme rarity of this variety may be explained by the heavily cracked condition of the reverse die, which may have become unusable after only a few strikes.