A pristine and original specimen of this controversial overdate. Harry Bass owned two examples of variety and seemed to question the status of the overdate being a 9 struck a previous 8. However, it is highly recognized and popular variety none the less. It is referred to as the “scarcest” date of this variety in a number early gold encyclopedias.
As noted above, Bass doubted the overdate status of this variety, but traditionally it has been considered one. Tradition often wins over reality and, as noted, this author and many notable others agree with Bass. There is something under the 9, but whether it is an 8 or remnants of an erroneously punched 9 is uncertain.
One interesting feature that has received scant attention is the large 9 punch employed on this die. It is much larger than the other digits. The partial numeral under the 9 does not seem to match the curve of an 8 or this 9. As with many other early gold issues, we sometimes have to draw the best conclusion that we can from the existing specimens. This work has kept the traditional moniker for this date of 1809/8/
Whether an overdate or not, this is a popular date and variety and one that draws a tremendous attention from collectors. As with many controversial issues in numismatics, this can prove to be a driving factor in demand.
The population of this coin in MS64 is listed as 61, but certainly there are many resubmissions in this number as is probably the case with the 13 MS65 examples. To date the finest is a lone MS66 by PCGS. Only 21 appearances are listed of MS64s and 5 MS65s in the auction record since 1990.
Two MS64s have appeared in 2011 and have an average priced realized of $62,006. The last MS65 to appear was in May 2010 and realized $77.050.
These prices realized provide ample confirmation that the specimen offered here at only $60,000 is an exceptional value.