Stack's 1828/7 Half Eagle, Unseen at Auction Since 1944, Offered in February 2026 Sale

This article is based on a CoinWeek report published on January 26, 2026, ahead of an auction scheduled for February 3, 2026. The source does not report the result of the sale.

According to CoinWeek, an 1828/7 Capped Head Left Half Eagle once owned by James A. Stack, Sr., known as the Flanagan-Bell coin, has reemerged after about eight decades. It was last seen at auction in 1944 and had since been kept in the Stack Collection.

The coin is certified MS-64+ by PCGS and carries CAC and CMQ-X approvals. CoinWeek reports that it has been confirmed as the finest surviving example of its date and die marriage.

Gold Coins of the 1820s and the Overdate

CoinWeek writes that by the late 1820s, the United States Mint had difficulty striking gold coins that would remain in domestic circulation. The value of gold in world markets made the coins prone to melting and export. Between 1823 and 1829, production totals dwindled, and many pieces were melted soon after issue.

The 1828/7 overdate shows that a die prepared for 1827 was repunched with an 8, leaving an "8 over 7" visible in the date. CoinWeek describes such overdates as a record of the Mint's frugality and technical limitations.

Researchers classify four die varieties for 1828: two overdates (BD-1 and BD-2) and two perfect dates (BD-3 and BD-4). Fewer than twenty 1828 Half Eagles survive in any form.

The Six Known Coins

According to CoinWeek, six 1828/7 Half Eagles are confirmed: four of the BD-1 variety and two of BD-2.

- BD-1: the Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation coin (PCGS MS-64), the Byron Reed coin (NGC MS-64, CAC), the Eliasberg-Pogue coin (PCGS MS-63, CAC) and the Lilly-Smithsonian Institution coin (Choice AU) - BD-2: the James A. Stack, Sr. coin (PCGS MS-64+, CAC, CMQ-X) and the Keston-Jacobson coin (NGC MS-63)

How a Second BD-2 Came to Light

Researcher John Dannreuther cataloged the BD-2 variety in Early U.S. Gold Coin Varieties (2006). Harry W. Bass, Jr., whose collection sought completeness by die state, never owned a BD-2.

In the mid-1990s, numismatist Andrew W. Pollock III noticed that the 1828/7 coin sold in the 1955 Baldenhofer, 1962 Wolfson and 1989 Brooks sales showed the reverse used for the perfect-date 1828 Half Eagle. That example was later confirmed in Superior's 1996 Michael I. Keston sale and graded MS-63 (NGC).

Previously, the single known BD-2 coin was thought to account for every recorded appearance of the variety. CoinWeek reports that with the Stack coin confirmed as a separate piece, the BD-2 population is two, and the provenance of earlier sales must be rewritten.

The February 2026 Sale

According to CoinWeek, Dannreuther's rarity ratings list the perfect-date BD-3 and BD-4 varieties as Rarity-8 and Rarity-6+, respectively. Stack's Bowers last offered an 1828/7 Half Eagle of any variety in the 2016 Pogue IV sale.

The coin was scheduled to be sold at the February 2026 Stack's Bowers Showcase Auction, as part of the James A. Stack, Sr. Collection, Part II, as Lot 23015 on February 3, 2026.

Source: CoinWeek, "The Finest Known 1828/7 Half Eagle: Rediscovering the Flanagan-Bell Coin" (January 26, 2026).