1806 Pointed 6, 8X5 Stars

By 1806 the Draped Bust half eagle had settled into a familiar rhythm at Philadelphia, and the year's combined delivery of 64,093 pieces ranks among the larger figures of the early gold series. Two distinct obverse die styles emerged inside that production, separated by the shape of the final digit and the stars flanking the bust. The Pointed 6 variant, identified by an open and sharp terminal at the upper portion of the numeral, was paired with thirteen stars arranged 8 to the left and 5 to the right of Liberty, and it accounts for the bulk of the year's output. The Knobbed 6 sibling, with its closed and rounded terminal and a 7 plus 6 star pattern, is decisively the scarcer of the two. Robert Scot's Draped Bust obverse and the Heraldic Eagle reverse both continued unchanged, and multiple Bass-Dannreuther die marriages are recorded for the Pointed 6 alone.

Authentication starts at the date logotype itself. Under 5x to 10x magnification, the upper portion of the final 6 should show an open, sharp terminal where the curved arm of the digit does not loop back to close against the body, and that diagnostic is the cleanest separator from the closed and rounded Knobbed 6 punch. The star count provides an immediate cross-check: 8 stars left of the bust and 5 to the right confirm the variety, where the Knobbed 6 carries a 7 plus 6 layout. Specifications anchor the broader check at 8.75 grams in 0.9167 fine gold, roughly 25 millimeters across, a reeded edge, and rotated coin alignment. A Bass-Dannreuther die marriage attribution by BD number remains the defensible standard.

For modern collectors the Pointed 6 sits as the practical type entry for the 1806 year inside the Heraldic Eagle Draped Bust half eagle series. Bass-Dannreuther estimates the surviving population somewhere in the broad range of 1,500 to 3,000 pieces across all grades, which keeps a steady stream of certified material in the auction pipeline at attainable price points. Problem-free coins in Very Fine through Extremely Fine trade actively, with About Uncirculated and Mint State examples drawing the firmest premiums when surfaces are clean. Cleaned or rim-damaged candidates appear regularly at lower price tiers and reward careful inspection. See the full Draped Bust Half Eagle series history.