1803 Half Eagle Pattern - J-C1803-3, Kettle & Sons

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,880 MS63 03-29-2017 Stack's Bowers

Description

This brass gaming token imitates the American half eagle ($5 gold piece) and was manufactured by Kettle & Sons of Birmingham, England, in the early 19th century. The obverse features a Capped Bust Right portrait of Liberty closely modeled on Robert Scot's design for genuine US half eagles, while the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield, olive branch, and arrows in the manner of the official Mint reverse. The piece is struck in brass with a plain edge and coin alignment. Kettle & Sons produced these tokens to serve as gambling chips in English gaming establishments, where players used metal tokens rather than the actual gold coins they represented. The half eagle version is larger and heavier than the companion quarter eagle token (J-C1803-1), matching the proportional size relationship between the genuine US denominations. These tokens were once cataloged in Appendix C of J. Hewitt Judd's reference on United States pattern coins, though they were removed from later editions since they are not true American Mint products. Despite this, they remain popular with collectors of early American numismatic material because they demonstrate how American coin designs were perceived and imitated in foreign commercial contexts during the Federal period.

Rarity Notes

R-6 (estimated 13-30 known). Scarce but slightly more available than the quarter eagle variety. Known in brass, silvered brass, and gilt variants.

Cross References

Judd-C1803-3; Pollock-8020