About the Coin

The 1803 gold eagle comes in 3 die varieties.

There is a small stars reverse of which the coin in the Arlington Collection is one.

There is also two large star reverses, one with 13 stars and one with 14 stars.

The 14 star reverse is an unusual variety in that the 14th star is located in the last cloud below the F in OF. This variety was apparently discovered by the famous collector Harry Bass.

This example in The Arlington Collection has nice original coloration and does not appear to have been cleaned in the recent past. The obverse shows a little weakness in the first five stars, but this is typical for 1803.

Overall, the coin has only a few small marks in the left obverse field. Otherwise the coin has very nice eye appeal with very clean surfaces.

Designer: Robert Scot
Weight: 17.5 grams
Diameter: 33mm, reeded edge
Composition: 91.67% gold, 8.33% silver/copper