1834 CLASSIC HEAD GOLD HALF EAGLE, NGC/CAC AU53, RARE GUIDE LINES, HM-3, R2?

Description

1834 Classic Head Gold Half Eagle
NGC/CAC Graded AU53
Breen 6501, McCloskey 3B?, R1?, Haynor/McCloskey HM-3, R2?
Obverse - Plain 4, script 8, tall serif on 1, 3 center spike almost touches upper knob. First head - with markedly curved and rounded truncation.
Reverse - No berry in the olive branch, no tongue in the eagle.
This coin exhibits Mint made die scribe arcs between the D-S and left of the U and left of the 5. Per Breen's "Early United States Half Eagles" monograph pg 68, II-1, "Proofs generally show guide lines (arcs of circles in line with bases of letters) left and right of 5D., left of U, between D-S, between F-A...". "Some proofs evidently went into circulation as there are 'AU' pieces showing earmarks of proof status."
In Daryl Haynor's new book "United States Classic Gold Coins of 1834-1839", the 1834 HM-3, die marriage 3-C, he clarifies Breen's remarks by stating, "Proof coins were made with this die marriage.", thus suggesting that both proof and circulated coins were made from the same die pairing and not as a mistaken release of proof coins into circulation as Breen suggested in the 1960s. He goes on to say, "The earliest minted specimens exhibit guide lines around the periphery of the reverse, located most prominently above and below the left wing tip, to the left of the second leaf, to the right of the third leaf, to the right of 5D., and above the right wing tip. The guide lines delineate the base of the letters around the border while being punched into the design." Haynor gives the HM-3 die marriage a rarity ranking of R2 with 27% of the total 1834 Half Eagle population. My own research (archived photos for the last 10 years, multiple sources) estimates that the population of HM-3 marriages with visible die lines is about 8% giving a rarity ranking of between R3 and R4 for coins exhibiting the scribe marks.
Aside; I highly recommend Haynor's book to anyone collecting Classic Head Quarter and Half Eagles. It has significantly more information and detailed photos missing in previously published documents. Excellent resource.
NGC/PCGS graded population 3984
Mintage 657,460
Will ship USPS Priority Mail Express. Signature required.