1825 Proof Capped Head to Left Half Eagle - 1825/4/1

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,080,000 PR62 08-23-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

The 1825 Proof Capped Head to Left Half Eagle - 1825/4/1 is a proof Gold Half Eagle struck at the Philadelphia Mint, part of the Capped Head to Left Half Eagles 1813-1834 series. This is an overdate variety where the die shows evidence of multiple date corrections. In the early Mint era, dies were expensive to produce, so rather than discard a die with the wrong date, Mint workers would punch the new date digits over the old ones. The traces of the previous dates remain visible under magnification, creating a distinctive variety prized by die variety specialists. With a mintage of 3, this is an extremely rare issue — the higher-mintage of the two mint variants, representing 0% of production. The obverse features Liberty facing left wearing a cap with curls of hair beneath and the reverse displays a heraldic eagle with shield on breast, olive branch and arrows in talons, with a banner reading E PLURIBUS UNUM. Struck during a period of national unity and westward expansion following the War of 1812, as the U.S. grew in confidence and territory. As a proof issue, this coin was struck multiple times on specially prepared polished planchets using polished dies, producing mirror-like fields and frosted design elements prized by collectors. Struck at the original U.S. Mint facility, in continuous operation since 1792. Auction record: $1,080,000 PR62 08-23-2024 Stack's Bowers. Struck in 91.7% gold, 8.3% copper, weighing 8.75 grams, 25 mm in diameter, with a reeded edge. Cataloged as PCGS #8145.