1809/8 $5 (1809/8 Half Eagle) NGC AU53. Early Half Eagle. This Capped Bust to Left 1809/8 Half Eagle is fresh and lustrous with pretty golden-rose coloring. There is sufficient separation in the lines of Libertys hair and cap as well as the lower portion of the eagle to warrant the grade. On the obverse the strike is strong on the bottom and right side as indicated by the dentils and centers of the stars. On the reverse the coin is well struck especially on the shield and the lower left of the eagle.

John Reich designed the Capped Bust half eagle of 1807 to 1834. It is stylistically related to the Capped Bust half dollar he also created. The obverse shows Liberty in profile facing left wearing a LIBERTY inscribed cap that was intended to represent a Phrygian cap. Seven stars are to her left and six are to the right with the date below the truncation. The reverse shows the heraldic eagle with wings raised up. Between them, on a banner, is the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM. The required inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the coin, interrupted by the wing tips, and the denomination written as 5 D. is below.

Reich corrected the error made by Robert Scot in the design of the previous half eagle (as well as his other heraldic eagle motifs). Scot had placed the arrows in the eagles right or dexter claw and put the olive branch in the left or sinister claw. This reversal of the positions of these two items is an inaccurate modification of the Great Seal of the United States. Arrows in the right claw symbolize extreme militarism, which is hardly a message a young nation should place on its coinage. On the Capped Bust Half Eagle, the olive branch is in the right claw and the arrows are in the left.

All 1809 half eagles are overdates, although the overdate fades out in later strikes. The 1809 had the lowest mintage of the type, and it is the scarcest date in the series.