1804 Half Eagle Pattern - J-32

Coin Details

Auction Record

$21,000 MS63 01-24-2021 Heritage Auctions

Description

Judd-32 is the tin restrike of the 1804 Capped Bust Right half eagle, one of three metallic compositions (along with copper J-31 and white metal J-31a) in which private restrikes from these dies are known. The obverse features Robert Scot's Capped Bust Liberty portrait facing right with the date 1804, and the reverse displays the Heraldic Eagle design. Like its companion restrikes, J-32 was produced from original federal dies that had been removed from the Mint, in the late 1850s or 1860s. The tin composition gives the coin a distinctive silvery-gray appearance and lighter weight compared to the copper version. These restrikes bear witness to the vigorous 19th-century market for numismatic curiosities, where enterprising collectors and dealers used retired government dies to produce pieces that, while not official, maintain a direct physical connection to the earliest years of American gold coinage.

Rarity Notes

R.7+. Approximately 3 examples known in tin.

Cross References

Pollock-43