1787 1/2 Db Brasher

Coin Details

Description

Even rarer than the celebrated full Brasher Doubloon, this Half Doubloon struck by Ephraim Brasher in gold represents a fractional denomination valued at approximately $7.50 — half of the Spanish doubloon equivalent that defined the full Doubloon's purchasing power. Cataloged as W-5720 and Breen 981, the Half Doubloon bears designs similar to the full doubloon at a proportionally smaller size, including the sunrise-over-mountain obverse motif and the heraldic eagle reverse that constitute Brasher's iconic numismatic imagery. Only a handful of specimens are known, placing the Half Doubloon among the most extreme rarities in American numismatics — and its lower denomination paradoxically makes it rarer than the full doubloon, as fewer were likely struck and even fewer survived. Brasher, a goldsmith and assayer working in New York City, produced his gold coinage as a demonstration of private minting capability during the Confederation period when the new nation debated whether to establish a federal mint. The Half Doubloon's existence proves that Brasher conceived of his gold coinage as a multi-denominational system rather than a single-denomination novelty, lending credibility to the argument that he envisioned a practical circulating coinage rather than merely a vanity project. This piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series and stands alongside the full Doubloon as one of the foundation pieces of American numismatics, commanding prices in the millions when examples have appeared at major auctions.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Only a handful of specimens known.

Cross References

W-5720; Breen 981