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Popular 1803 Extra Star Eagle AU58 NGC
BD-5, High R.4. Early gold specialists have concluded that less than 100 examples of this scarce die marriage have survived the past 200 years. The “extra star” moniker refers to a small, errant star that can be observed in the farthest cloud on the right. Instead of the standard 13 reverse stars for the type, 14 stars actually exist on this die, and this feature is unique among early U.S. gold issues, regardless of denomination. The purpose of the mysterious extra star is not known, although it is possible that a die sinker was testing a punch that would have been used on a minor denomination coin, such as a half dime or dime.
 For the variety, only ten specimens have been certified by NGC at the AU58 level, with 26 finer examples; this total is undoubtedly inflated by multiple submissions of the same coin. Furthermore, a review of auction records over the past 20 years indicates that the extant population of 1803 BD-5 eagles—which is less than 100 pieces—includes many cleaned, low grade, or otherwise inferior coins.
The most memorable appearance of an 1803 Extra Star ten dollar gold piece was in the August 2006 Old West sale by American Numismatic Rarities. That piece, an NGC-graded MS66 coin, realized $333,500. As of January 2011, the AU58 Trends value of this variety is $60,000.
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History
