By Charles Morgan for CoinWeek ….
1798 was a transitional year for the Draped Bust Dollar. The Small Eagle reverse, which debuted in 1795, was swapped out for the grander Heraldic Eagle type. This new design was used for the majority of the approximately 235,000 1798-dated dollars. The actual number of dollar coins struck in 1798 was higher, but researchers believe that other dates account for the remainder of the mintage.
To strike this many coins, dozens of obverse and reverse dies were prepared. The United States Mint, more concerned with maximizing die life than striking flawless coins, used these dies for as long as possible, swapping out obverse or reverse dies when they failed. The present offering from GreatCollections is a BB-115, described as a “Large Eagle, Pointed 9, Close Date” in the Bowers and Borckardt reference.
This variety shares its obverse die with BB-113, BB-114, BB-116, BB-117, BB-118, and BB-119. The “8” digit is high, out of place, and leans to the right. The reverse, however, is unique to the BB-115. On the BB-115, a long diagonal die crack is typically visible below the date, as is the case with this example.
Coin dealer Milford Henry Bolender was the first to publish this variety in his 1950 reference, The United States Early Silver Dollars from 1794-1803. It is remarkable that in the 75 years since that reference’s publication, no Mint State example of the variety has surfaced.
The present example is graded PCGS AU58+ CAC and features champagne centers with a deep concentric ring of blue, green, gold, and amber toning along the periphery. The piece last sold at public auction in 2017, when it brought $33,600 at the Newman sale. At that time, it was graded NGC AU58+ CAC. In the CoinWeek Notes census, curated by Hubert Walker and me, this is the finest known BB-115.
At the time of publication, the highest of 4 bids is $26,000. Bidding ends on July 27, 2025 at 5:55 PM Pacific Time.
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GreatCollections has offered high-quality examples of thousands of Lincoln Cents over the years, including many top population pieces. To search through GreatCollection’s archive of over 600,000 certified coins and notes the company has sold, please visit the GreatCollections Auction Archives.
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