A survey of 19th century business strike coin
$5 CAPPED BUST (1807-1812)

Owner Comments:

John Reich was German immigrant who came to The United States as an indentured servant. He came to the notice of President Thomas Jefferson perhaps when Reich made the dies for Jefferson's 1801 presidential inaugural medl. Jefferson helped him obtain a position as a die sinker at the first United States mint. In 1807 Reich set to work re-designing every U.S. coin that was then being made at the mint.

Reich’s design had a rather buxom lady on the obverse and a modified heraldic eagle on the reverse. Reich’s critics claimed that his Lady Liberty was modeled after his “fat mistress,” but his eagle proved to be a big hit with mint officials. Versions of it would appear on U.S. coinage until 1891.

This 1811 half eagle is a very sharp, original coin with almost full Mint State detail. Check out the notch on the 13th star. It was John Reich’s “signature” that appeared on this coin and all of the other gold and silver coinage dies that he produced.