1799 Eagle - 1799 $10 Small Stars Obverse, PCGS AU58. BD-6, R5. This rare, near-Mint State 1799 Eagle, Small Stars has bright mint luster within its devices. The strike is above average with full details on some of the stars, Libertys hair, the upper shield, the eagles neck and wings, and the clouds. There is just a touch of wear on the highest points, in keeping with the grade. The surfaces are original with a small scratch upward from Star 3 and some small scattered copper spots on the reverse. No adjustment marks are present on the coin.

The BD-6 is identified ON the obverse with the numerals 17 of the date close to each other. Star 9 touches the Y of LIBERTY, and Star 13 is far from the Libertys bust. The reverse shows Star 12 away from the eagles beak but pointing towards the opening. The first A in AMERICA touches Feathers 3 and 4.

All of the obverse stars on 1799 eagle coins have the eight and five arrangement. Two different sized star punches were used resulting in the Large and Small Star varieties. The spacing of the numerals in the date varies. Some have a Close Date, some a Wide Date, and some an Irregular date. The present coin is a Small Stars variety. Evidently the Small Star punch broke some time during the production run in 1799. Subsequently the Mint began to use a punch with a larger, fatter, and puffier star. It was used through 1801. Auction records and population reports indicate that the Large Stars variety is scarcer than the Small Stars.

The early eagle coins have no denomination because gold was valued by its weight and fineness as was the European coinage of the time. As seen on contemporary Large Cents, dentils are at the edge of both the obverse and reverse of these coins.

The obverse design shows Liberty facing right. Below her is the date which is off center to the left. Between the date and the word LIBERTY on the left side of the coin are eight stars. Another five stars follow LIBERTY down to the bust. Liberty wears a large, soft cap. Her hair flows down and also shows on her forehead. The design was probably taken from a Roman engraving of a Greek goddess. Libertys cap was certainly not a Phrygian or liberty cap. The liberty cap, emblematic of freedom, was worn by freed slaves and freed gladiators in Roman times. It was a close fitting cap used to cover a shorn head, which was one of the way slaves were identified. The oversized cap worn by Liberty has been called a turban, and the design has been called the Turban Head because of it.

The Type 1 reverse shows a rather scrawny eagle standing on a branch holding a wreath in its mouth as it looks right. For some, the eagle looks like a chicken with oversized wings. In an arc around the eagle are the words UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

The Type 2 reverse, issued in 1797, shows a heraldic eagle. However, Scot mixed up the positions of the arrows and olive branch. The arrows held in the wrong claw signify defiant militarism. Either Scot made an error copying the image of the Great Seal, or he deliberately changed the symbolism in keeping with very warlike stance. Considering that the United States at this time was engaged in a naval war with France (the undeclared Franco-American War of 1798 to 1800, which took place of the East coast of North America and the Caribbean and resulted in the end of French privateer attacks on U.S. shipping), the latter is probably more likely. The French would be especially sensitive to a message within the heraldry, and the young United States was brash in that they had just defeated the super power, England in gaining independence. In the field above the eagle are thirteen stars and above them, six (or seven) clouds. A banner from wing to wing has the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM.

Thomas Jefferson chose Robert Scot to be the first Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793. Scot was born in 1744. It is uncertain if he was born in Edinburgh, Scotland or in England. He was trained as a watchmaker in England and learned engraving afterwards. He moved to the United States in 1777, where he worked as an engraver of plates, bills of exchange, and office scales. During the Revolution, he was an engraver of paper money. In 1780 he was made the State Engraver of Virginia. He moved to Philadelphia the next year. He was appointed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793 by David Rittenhouse, Mint Director. His salary in 1795 was 1,200 per year.

The Mint Director received only $800 dollars per year more. Scots ability to make dies was limited, and he was advanced in years with failing eyesight. His work was somewhat less than that done in Europe at the time, and Scot was criticized for its poor quality. Despite these limitations, he was responsible for designs of most of Americas first coins. These include the Flowing Hair and the Draped Bust motifs used on early silver coins, and the gold quarter eagle, half eagle and eagle. Scot also designed the 1794-1797 half-cent, the 1800-1808 draped bust half-cent, and the Thomas Jefferson Indian Peace Medal. Scot died on November 1, 1823 and was succeeded by William Kneass as Chief Engraver.

The original mintage of the 1799 eagle was 37,449; however, it is not known how many were of each type. The PCGS population report is not particularly useful since only 2 1799 BD-6 eagles have been certified, and the higher of the two is an AU53. However, Dannreuther and Bass give the BD-6 variety an R5 rarity rating, meaning that 35 to 45 are known in all grades.