Lot 113
113
EXTREMELY RARE 1824 HALF-EAGLE
Half-Eagle, 1824, designed by John Reich (Breen 1A, rarity 5), a few marks, almost uncirculated overall, well struck and lustrous for the grade, among the rarest dates in a design type laden with rarities, both Akers and Breen estimated that fewer than two dozen specimens survive from a mintage of almost 18,000 pieces

Details
Half-Eagle, 1824, designed by John Reich (Breen 1A, rarity 5), a few marks, almost uncirculated overall, well struck and lustrous for the grade, among the rarest dates in a design type laden with rarities, both Akers and Breen estimated that fewer than two dozen specimens survive from a mintage of almost 18,000 pieces

Lot Essay

One notable happening of 1824 was the grand tour of the United States by the Marquis de Lafayette, beloved citizen-soldier from France. His own personal fortune and connections were instrumental in bringing France into the American Revolution, thus helping the struggling colonies in their successful bid for independence. Lafayette, a close personal friend of George Washington, toured America in 1824 as "the nation's guest", paying his special respects to the capitol cities of all the states, as well as to the surviving members of the Continental Congress and officers of the Continental Army.