1797 P$5 Copper, J-24 MS BN

Trial striking from regular dies for the half eagle, 16-Star obverse, Small Eagle reverse, possibly the dies known as Breen-12. This piece, defaced by blows from the edge of a tool, was preserved, remarkably, for later generations of numismatists, although undoubtedly at the time of issue it was meant to have been discarded. Today, a gold impression of this die pair is known to exist, residing in the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation Collection.