***Auction Highlight*** 1796 No Stars Draped Bust Gold Quarter Eagle $2 1/2 BD-2 Graded vf30 details

***Auction Highlight*** 1796 No Stars Draped Bust Gold Quarter Eagle $2 1/2 BD-2 Graded vf30 details
***Auction Highlight*** 1796 No Stars BD-2 Draped Bust Gold Quarter Eagle $2 1/2 Graded vf30 details By SEGS. The 1796 No Stars Capped Bust Right quarter eagle is one of the rarest type coins in all of U.S. numismatics. The mintage is believed to be 963 pieces, of which perhaps only 100 to 130 coins are known today. This is the first quarter eagle produced in the U.S. Mint, the obverse depicting a small cameo with a bust of Liberty wearing a cap facing right, the word LIBERTY at the upper border and the date along the lower border tucked in below the truncation of the bust. Stars were omitted from the obverse, the open field leaving a coin prone to marks and rapid wear through circulation. Later in 1796 stars were added to the obverse design, and this style of the Capped Bust Right quarter eagle continued through 1807.The first delivery of No Stars quarter eagles took place on September 21, 1796, and consisted of 66 pieces, almost certainly the BD-1 variety of which just four to six coins are known today. The reverse die soon broke, suspending coinage until a new die could be prepared. The next and final delivery of 1796 occurred on December 8 of that year and comprised 897 coins. These were certainly of the BD-2 variety, offered here. Both the BD-1 and BD-2 1796 quarter eagles were struck with the same No Stars obverse die, with the earliest die state seen used for the BD-1 variety. The 1796 BD-3 Stars on Obverse variety is believed to have been delivered on January 14, 1797, and consisted of 432 pieces. These numbers seem to fit well with most estimates of survivors provided by numismatic scholars, and considerable research by Harry W. Bass, Jr. and John W. Dannreuther confirms this die emission sequence and the associated mintage figures. A Key Date's Pick, Bid to Win, Don't let it get Away, you might not find its equal Coin. I give this coin my highest recommendation