1812 Half Eagle|1812 $5 NGC MS61|Early Half Eagle

1812 Half Eagle - 1812 $5 NGC MS61. Early Half Eagle. Here is a Mint State 1812 Half Eagle that shimmers with bright mint luster from within its devices. The coin is well struck with full details on the centers of the stars, Libertys hair, and the shield. The dentils are strong on both sides. The surfaces are an original mixture of light and darker yellow gold, which prove their authenticity. They are clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions.

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.

John Reich, a skilled engraver, was born in Bavaria and came to the United States around 1800. In order to finance his passage, he sold himself into servitude. President Thomas Jefferson recommended that Reich be hired as an engraver at the Mint in 1801. When he was serving in Washingtons Cabinet, Jefferson was in charge of the Mint as Secretary of State. While in France, Jefferson developed a working knowledge of the minting process. Reich was hired for other duties, but he eventually became an engraver. He had a superb eye for the complicated aesthetics of coin engraving. At this time his freedom was purchased by an unknown mint official. Although Chief Engraver Robert Scot designed most of the coins at the mint since 1794, it was said that Reich had much more talent and ability than Scot.

In 1807, Reich was promoted to the position of Assistant or Second Engraver by Robert Patterson, the new Mint Director. Jefferson had urged Patterson to make this promotion because Scots eyesight was failing him. The promotion was timely because Reich was considering returning to Europe out of boredom with the menial tasks he had been assigned. Immediately Patterson assigned Reich the task of redesigning the nations coinage. He began with the half eagle and the half dollar, the two most important coins for commerce.

Reich put the denomination of the gold and silver coins. This innovation had not been done previously because coins, especially in Europe, were valued for their metallic content and weight. By 1815 Reich had created a set of circulating coins with the common capped liberty obverse. In 1813 Reich modified the half eagle to become what is called the Capped Head design. Some contemporary critic called the bust of Liberty Reichs fat German mistress.

After working for ten years as Assistant Engraver at the mint, Reich resigned in 1817. He had received no pay raise or promotion and little praise from Robert Scot. Scot remained the Chief Engraver until his death in 1823.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence.

The Mint shut operations during the late summer and early fall every year. In addition to yellow fever, disorder at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages and coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely. Often dies were locked up and later taken out of storage without great attention and care. There was also a jealous Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.

In its population report, NGC shows that it has certified 33 1812 half eagles at the MS61 grade level.