Capped Bust to Right Half Eagles 1795-1807

About This Series

Inaugurating America's gold coinage tradition, the Capped Bust to Right Half Eagle was among the first gold coins produced at the Philadelphia Mint following the Coinage Act of April 2, 1792. Robert Scot's obverse depicts Liberty wearing a turban-like cap with flowing hair, paired initially with a Small Eagle reverse (1795-1798) and later a Heraldic Eagle reverse adapted from the Great Seal (1797-1807). Half eagles served as the workhorse gold denomination in early American commerce. The 1795 Small Eagle issue stands as one of the most coveted early American gold types. Key dates include the 1798 Small Eagle, with only seven known examples, and various die marriages documented in the Bass-Dannreuther reference. Total mintages remained modest, rarely exceeding 35,000 in any year, and many coins entered international trade circuits with the West Indies and Europe. The transition from Small Eagle to Heraldic Eagle reverse created two distinct collecting subtypes within the series.

Series Information