1834 $5 Capped Bust, BD-1 (Regular Strike)

1834 BD-1 is a rare variety and one of only two different die varieties of the 1834 Capped Bust, Plain 4 Half Eagles. The other variety, BD-3, is extremely rare and differs from the BD-1 by the positioning of the 5D on the reverse. On BD-1, the 5 is slightly to the right of the tip of the leftmost feather of the arrow's fletch; on BD-3, the 5 is well to the left of the same feather.

The striking pressures used to create the 1834 Capped Bust Half Eagles were inconsistent, sometimes resulting in weakness on some of the stars and/or on the upper ridge of the eagle's right wing (viewer's left). The inconsistency varies from coin to coin, thus the same stars are not always flat, and, rarely, a coin will be found with most of the stars well-defined.

Most of the 1834 Capped Bust Half Eagles disappeared shortly after striking because of the Coinage Act of 1834, which caused their intrinsic gold value to exceed their face value. As a consequence, most 1834 BD-1's were plucked from circulation and those that remain were high-grade pieces preserved by collectors. Of the top ten examples we've been able to document, all are Mint State. The best example is an NGC MS65, although a copper-toned PCGSMS64 exists that might be just as vauable or desirable because of it's original crust and color.