Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States - A Complete Encyclopedia
Q. David Bowers
1803 Heraldic Eagle
Varieties
1803. BB-251.
Small 3 in date (B-1. H-1.)
• OBVERSE 1: Thin top to 3 in date, right top of 3 slanting toward bust, short left tip slanting toward O. 1 does not touch curl. Stars 8 and 13 equidistant from Y and bust respectively, and each is close. Star 8 close to Y and in the same relative position to Y as on the 1804 dollar. Liberty's mouth open.
Obverse die used to strike 1803 BB-251 only.
• REVERSE A: Described under 1801 BB-214, repeated herewith: The point of the leftmost arrowhead is under the center of the left upright of the N in UNITED. Leaf points under center of I in AMERICA. Point of a star touches the outside of upper part of eagle's beak slightly above beak's point.
Called Reverse B by Bolender, this die was mated with obverses dated 1801, 1802, and 1803.
Reverse die used to strike 1801 BB-214 (typically with crack from border toward cloud 6); 1802/1 BB-233 (perfect; first use of the die), BB-234 (die relapped, cloud 6 mostly missing, some arrowheads disconnected; some with clash mark from cloud 5 to border above 0), and BB-235; 1802 BB-242 (spur on D from now on); 1803 BB-251 (relapped, struck before BB-252) and BB-252 (relapped, struck after BB-251).
• DIE STATES:
Die State I: Perfect obverse die. Reverse as described above. May not exist with perfect obverse.
Die State II: Obverse with light crack from denticles through left side of R in LIBERTY to hair. Reverse as preceding. The state usually seen.
Die State III: Obverse crack at top widens and splits into two sections at bottom of R, continuing down to hair. A new crack extends from the left side of 8 in the date up into the bust. Reverse as preceding. Slightly scarcer than Die State II.
• AUCTION POPULATION SURVEY: Good: 4, Very Good: 4, Fine: 7, Very Fine: 16, Extremely Fine: 7, About Uncirculated: 3. Total: 41. Average grade: VF-21.
• COLLECTING NOTES: The 1803 BB-251 dollar is scarce. Probably, about 240 to 450 exist totally, just enough to make it a challenge for the advanced collector to find. EF coins are scarce, AU pieces are very rare (if, indeed, they exist), and Mint State specimens have not been seen.
• NOTABLE SPECIMENS:
Forrest Specimen. EF-45 net. (AU-50, cleaned) •• Stack's, S.S. Forrest, Jr. Collection, 1972: 987. "Brilliant AU, just the faintest evidence of wear. Cleaned at one time."
Brooks Specimen. EF-45 net. (AU-50, cleaned) .• Bowers and Merena Galleries, 1989: 695. "AU-50. Lightly cleaned in the past, but still very attractive. The fields are reflective and the design features are mostly quite sharp save for a few softly defined strands behind Miss Liberty's temple."
Holmes Specimen. EF-45 .• Stack's, Milton A. Holmes Collection, 1960: 2264. "EF, choice. Just the slightest wear on the high points. Mostly blue toning. Sharp, well struck."
Frontenac Specimen. EF-45 .• Rowers and Merena Galleries, Frontenac Collection, 1991: 2223. "EF-45 to AU-50. Somewhat prooflike surface. A very pleasing coin with lilac, gunmetal blue, and iridescent surfaces."
Frontenac Specimen (another). EF-40 (PCGS) .• Bowers and Merena Galleries, Frontenac Collection, 1991: 2224. "EF-40 (PCGS). Medium gray toning. A sharp example."
DeCoppet Specimen. EF-40. • James Kelly, Andre DeCoppet Collection, 1955. "EF, well struck."
Hollinbeck-Kagin Specimen. EF-40. • Hollinbeck-Kagin Sale, August 1970: 1100. "EF and sharp, attractive patina."
Stirling Specimen. EF-40 .• Frank M. Stirling Collection, Heritage, February 1986: 1344. "Toned a steel gray with peripheral iridescence. There is a small surface dent on Liberty's neck, and the obverse displays orne fine hairlines."
Ebsen Specimen. EF-40. . Superior Galleries, Buddy Ebsen Collection, 1987: 1927. "EF-40, a typical shallow strike, yet with a minimal amount of light wear. Plenty of frosty mint lustre is still intact, particularly about the protected areas of
the devices. Well centered. Toned with light grayish violet turning to sea green iridescence."
Stack's Autumn Sale Specimen. VF-35 .• Stack's Autumn Sale, 1978: 302 .• Stack's, May 1990: 1204. "EF, short scratch behind eye. Russet and violet toning. Full motto, nice detail."
• POPULATION DISTRIBUTION:
Approximate population MS-65 or better: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-64: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-63: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population MS-60 to 62: 0 (URS-0)
Approximate population AU-50 to 58: 0 to 1 (URS-0)
Approximate population VF-20 to EF-45: 155 to 300 (URS-9)
Approximate population G-4 to F-15: 80 to 140 (URS-8)
Approximate population for all grades combined: 240 to 450 (URS-9)
• CONDITION CENSUS: 45 (multiples)