1795 $1 Flowing Hair, BB-14 MS(PCGS#39981)

The August 2014 Chicago ANA Auction Rarities Night

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

13113

Grade

AU50

Price

15,275

Lot Description

1795 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar. BB-14, B-4. Rarity-3. BB Die State I. Two Leaves. AU-50 (NGC). This undeniably original example exhibits splashes of olive-russet peripheral toning to otherwise slate gray surfaces. Suitably bold for an AU Flowing Hair dollar, and uncommonly free of readily evident abrasions. Although the Rarity-3 rating suggests an overall population of between 200 and 500 specimens, the vast majority of specimens range in grade from Good-4 to EF-45; the median grade for the variety is probably in the neighborhood of VF-30. Dave Bowers in his recently-published Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars, 1794-1804 estimates a population of fewer than 25 survivors in grades above the EF level; in fact, his roster of "notable specimens" includes some pieces grading as low as EF-40.