1799 Small Stars Obverse

The 1799 Small Stars obverse Eagle is one of two stylistic subsets that share the year's combined mintage of 37,449 pieces. The Small Stars name refers to the size of the punches Robert Scot used to lay out the thirteen stars around Liberty: noticeably smaller than the broad punches found on the Large Stars subset, with thin "spiny" points that are more evenly spaced and set a touch farther from the rim dentils. Eight of the year's ten Bass-Dannreuther die marriages, BD-1 through BD-8, carry this obverse, while only BD-9 and BD-10 use the Large Stars layout. Despite using the majority of the working dies, the Small Stars subset is generally regarded by Bass-Dannreuther as marginally scarcer overall, and surviving Mint State examples are notably tougher to find than their Large Stars counterparts.

For collectors, attribution starts with the star punches themselves: a loupe at low power shows whether the points are slim and evenly spaced (Small Stars) or broad and crowded near the rim (Large Stars). Beyond the variety call, this is early federal gold and the standard authentication routine applies. Genuine pieces weigh 17.50 grams in 0.9167 fine alloy with a specific gravity near 17.16, and parallel adjustment marks left by Mint workers filing down overweight planchets are an original feature, not a defect. Edge inspection helps weed out cast counterfeits, which often show seams, mushy lettering, or porosity along the reeded perimeter. Surfaces will almost always show light handling, planchet streaks, and softness at Liberty's hair curls and the eagle's shield. Collectors should also expect die-state evolution within marriages such as BD-7, where rim cuds and clash marks help confirm authenticity.

The 1799 Small Stars subset is more obtainable than headline rarities like BD-9, but circulated examples in VF through XF still command meaningful premiums, and AU coins climb quickly. An NGC MS64 example brought $106,375 at Heritage, with Mint State pieces above MS63 considered genuinely scarce since no Gem has yet been certified. Most collectors approach the year as a single date with two variety options, choosing one well-struck example with original surfaces rather than chasing every BD marriage. To place this issue within its full design and series context, see the Draped Bust Eagle series history.