Capped Head to Left, Reduced Diameter (1829-1834)

In 1829, the design on the Capped Head half eagle was modified slightly by William Kneass to accommodate new machinery at the Mint. Half eagles were being struck using a close collar that produced coins of uniform diameter. The borders now consisted of circles of beads within a raised rim. The major design elements remained the same, but the stars, lettering, and dates became smaller.

Rarities in this series include the 1829 Small Date (compared to the earlier Large Date, Large Diameter coin of that year) and the 1832 with only 12 stars on the obverse (an engraver's gaffe). In 1834, varieties appear with either a Plain or Crosslet 4 in the date. All examples of this type were produced at the Philadelphia Mint. Mintages were relatively high (most greater than 125,000 coins), but survivors are very rare. A tiny handful of Proofs were made, but they seldom appear on the market and are extremely valuable.

Designed by John Reich. Same designs as the preceding except the border has been replaced with a circle of small beads within a raised rim. Edge: reeded. Standards: weight, 8.75 grams; composition, 91.67% gold / 8.33% silver and copper; diameter, 23.8 mm.