Goldberg Coins and Collectibles

Sale 28

Pre-Long Beach Coin Auction

U.S. Silver Dollars 1795

Lot	Photo	Description	Realized
Lot 1458		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 2 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-1, Rarity-3. *Sharpness of VF-20 Polished, burnished and altered surfaces.* Detail that is close to Extremely Fine in nature. The surfaces are dull chocolate brown and charcoal. Obviously cleaned and retoned at one point in time. A sharp vertical scratch is seen above the date going into the middle section of the bust. Estimated Value $1,250 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,990
Lot 1459		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 2 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-2, Rarity-2. *Sharpness of Fine-15 or better. Obverse tooling.* Antique gray surfaces that, while not harshly cleaned, do display tooling in the right obverse field and a deep dig at the center of Liberty's portrait. A rim nick exists above the R of AMERICA and the BE of LIBERTY. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,725
Lot 1460		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 2 leaves beneath each wing. . BB-21. Sharpness of Fine-12. Cleaned. While this Flowing Hair dollar was cleaned at some point, many have been seen in much worse shape. A uniform gray coloration is seen throughout and a touch of iridescence in the obverse legend elevates eye appeal dramatically. On the rim, left of E of UNITED is a moderate rim bruise. A pleasing coin that we suggest prospective bidders view carefully. Estimated Value $1,400 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,300
Lot 1461		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 2 leaves beneath each wing. Sharpness of Good. Cleaned years ago. An evenly circulated example of this popular Flowing Hair dollar. Uniform gray coloration that cast a light golden shadow when viewed at an angle. Well centered with only one or two minor rim bruises. A streak of light discoloration runs diagonally across the obverse but the overall eye appeal is nice for a Good example. Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 1462		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . B-12b, BB-26, Rarity-6. NGC graded VF-30. A rare terminal die state and one of only several known, the finest being a single NGC XF45. A prominent die crack begins at the rim and continues upwards through the 7 of the date and further into the hair of Liberty. The surfaces are an aged gray with hints of blue and yellow underneath. While we note light hairlines on the fields, there are no serious scratches or large hits. At stars 3-6 there are some old adjustment marks at the rim. On the reverse, the denticles are weak from N to D of UNITED. Both the San Marino specimen (Goldberg's; Sept. 2002, Lot # 459) and the specimen from Bowers & Merena's March 1994 Sale (Lot # 1081) display this weakness on the reverse border. Repunching has occurred on the E of LIBERTY. The quality of the fields on this piece is above average for any Very Fine Flowing Hair dollar and when one considers the rarity of this die state it quickly becomes apparent how important this coin is. One of only a handful of specimens to appear at public auction! NGC has graded only a total of 5 in all grades. Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $9,200
Lot 1463		1795. 3 leaves beneath each wing. Bolender-5, BB-27, Rarity-1 Flowing Hair Dollar. PCGS graded VF-30. Pleasing pewter-gray surfaces on both obverse and reverse. Luster still exists in the periphery of the reverse. While the detail of the hair directly at Liberty's ear can be considered Very Fine, the reverse detail in the legends and feather detail of the wings is Extremely Fine in nature. A pleasing example of a Flowing Hair dollar, a design only produced for two short years before the introduction of the Draped Bust design. This example is well centered and the rims are full except for a small triangular nick just left of star 2. Choice Very Fine examples like this keeping increasing in price due to insatiable demand. One of the most frequently seen 1795 die marriages with the short horizontal left of the highest curl quickly identifying the variety (PCGS # 6852) . Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000. View details and enlarged photos Check results on similar lots	Realized $6,038
Lot 1464		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. *NTC graded VF-30. Our grade sharpness of Fine, cleaned.* Centered well and found with sharp detail on a problem free planchet. Unfortunately cleaned at one point and no retoned a darker gray color with golden highlights. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $3,105
Lot 1465		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *Sharpness of VF-20 Cleaned with a porous planchet.* A cleaned, silvery appearance with evidence of harsh polishing on the obverse. The reverse is dull with heavier porosity than the obverse. A rust color film cakes both side. Estimated Value $1,250 - 1,500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,553
Lot 1466		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *Sharpness of VF-20 Cleaned and retoned with scratched surfaces.* Overlapping pin scratches are noted over the entire device of Liberty. The surfaces showcase some old, dull scratches as well. Both obverse and reverse have a degree of granularity, heaviest on the reverse. Surfaces also possess a filmy appearance from post-cleaning retoning. Even detail throughout. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,380
Lot 1467		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-7, Rarity-4. *Sharpness of VF-20, Surfaces burnished and retoned.* Heavily burnished/polished surfaces have been retoned a darker gray. A mottled, maroon appearance is noted. Surfaces have a fine granularity as a result of heavy cleaning. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,553
Lot 1468		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *SEGS graded VF-20. Our grade Fine-15, artificially toned.* Sharp detail and even wear. Surfaces were heavily cleaned long ago and then retoned. The result is an array of electric rainbow toning on the obverse. Hairlines are visible underneath the color. Although cleaned and retoned, there are no distracting scratches or marks and the quality of the planchet is just fine. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,300. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $2,760
Lot 1469		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-7, Rarity-4. *Sharpness of Fine-15 or better. Reverse damaged by a puncture.* Decent detail with soft, original iridescence that has fallen over surfaces cleaned long ago. The fields show arcing patches of hairlines, a result of heavier cleaning. A darker black stain exists right of the date. There is a deep puncture mark at 6:00 on the reverse and a large rim ding at 10:00. A satisfactory example for someone seeking a Flowing Hair dollar at the basal value level. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,200. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,438
Lot 1470		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *Sharpness of Fine-15. Cleaned, burnished and retoned.* Heavily cleaned with obvious, surface wide hairlines. Evidence of burnishing found on both obverse and reverse. Two obverse streaks of deep granularity. Estimated Value $1,000 - 1,250. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,553
Lot 1471		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *Sharpness of Fine. Cleaned with scratches.* A sharp, angular nick is seen in the left obverse field just underneath the 8th star. Several old digs between stars 3 and 4. Two longer, old scratches exist on Liberty's portrait. A mottled appearance with varying shades of gray coloration. Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,208
Lot 1472		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. PCI graded Fine-15. Altered Surfaces. Quickly identified by the horizontal bar in the left field, just off the top curl. While PCI has called this example "Altered Surfaces", it looks more like a coin that was cleaned and retoned. A thin hairline scratch curves down across Liberty. Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,553
Lot 1473		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. *SEGS graded Fine-12. Our grade VG-8 with obverse scratches.* Two sharp scratches near the diagnostic bar in the left field. Another pair of scratches in the back hair of Liberty. Even gray coloration and even wear on both obverse and reverse. Estimated Value $800 - 900. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,495
Lot 1474		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-7, Rarity-4. Sharpness of Very Good Cleaned, retoned and scratched. Pin scratches across Liberty's device. Dark gray surfaces that display heavy patches of granularity and alteration. Heavy swirl marks from cleaning found on the central obverse. Estimated Value $600 - 700. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $1,208
Lot 1475		1795 Flowing Hair Dollar. 3 leaves beneath each wing. . Bolender-5, Rarity-1. Sharpness of Good . Cleaned with rim nicks. Antique gray surfaces with even wear. The hairlines associated with an old cleaning are not harsh. Rim nicks are found scattered around the borders of both obverse and reverse. Estimated Value $400 - 500. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $834
Lot 1476		1795. Flowing Hair Dollar, Two Leaves, Silver plug. . Bolender-3, BB-11; Rarity-4. PCGS graded EF-40. With regards to originality, eye appeal and plug definition, this 1795 Flowing Hair Silver Plug dollar is one of the most attractive we have seen! Even wear from years of circulation has left all devices showing the same amount of friction and all possessing the same light silver appearance. A uniform antique coloration rests atop all surfaces and is accented by a light steel blue and golden patina. With regards to marks, two old scratches are noted just below the LI of LIBERTY where Liberty's hair meets the fields and a small planchet depression, evidently mint made, is found to the upper left of the first A in AMERICA. Measuring just slightly above 8 millimeters in width, the obverse plug shape is circular with a "pan handle" beginning to spread down Liberty's neck. Reverse plug shape is a jagged edge circle found over the majority of the eagle's breast and left wing. Plug definition is completely clear at an arm's length away for both sides! An extremely choice example that would be the perfect addition to a high quality early type set! While the circumstances surrounding the production of these early dollars with silver plugs can only be theorized, the suggested reasoning is quite logical and convincing. Famous numismatist Q. David Bowers first described these "plugs" in 1981 and researched there existence more heavily alongside numismatists Tom DeLorey, Kenneth E. Bressett and Roger W. Burdette in the decade that followed. In a nutshell, they speculated that the silver plugs were inserted into lightweight planchets before striking in order to bring the planchets up to weight. After inserting the silver plug, if the planchet was a tad too heavy, it was adjusted down, otherwise the coin was then struck to flatten out the inserted plug. The demand for silver plug Flowing Hair dollars has increased steadily over the past 5-10 years. With minor peaks and valleys along that trend, many more collectors desire a silver plug example for their collection than ever before. In all, perhaps 75-100 silver plug examples exist in all grades and all varieties. Some have come to the market in recent years with plug definition that is marginal at best. Sometimes, no obverse plug detail is visible and reverse detail requires magnification. Needless to say, the most heavily sought after examples possess clear plug definition on both the obverse and reverse, like the present specimen. Research and auction records support literature stating Bolender-1, BB-21 and Bolender-7, BB-18 are the most frequently encountered varieties that possess silver plugs. The Bolender-3 variety is a scarce Rarity-5 issue without the silver plug and in the present condition, this choice EF Bolender-3 example with a clearly defined plug is a true rarity! PCGS population for all varieties of 6 in 45, 3 in 50, 2 in 53, 2 in 55, 1 in 58 and 1 in 64 Recent appearances of silver plug Flowing Hair dollars include the following: 1) 1795 B-3, BB-11 ANACS Fine Details, NET VG-8 - Scratched; Heritage Numismatics Auctions, Sept. 9-11, 2004, Lot # 6977; $5,290 2) 1795 B-1, BB-21 NGC MS61, Superior Galleries, August 16, 2004, Lot #818: Unsold (no obverse plug definition) 3) 1795 B-7, BB-18 PCGS EF45, Superior Galleries, August 16, 2004, Lot #819: Unsold (no obverse plug definition, marginal reverse definition) 4) 1795 B-3, BB-11 NGC AU50, Goldberg's, May 31 -June 2, 2004, Lot #803: $34,500 (sharp obverse and reverse plug definition). Estimated Value $25,000 - 35,000. View details and enlarged photos	Realized $25,300