Lot 880
1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. PCGS graded AU-55. This particular coin boasts abundant mint luster with a delicate blue and gold toning around the periphery. Sharply struck, with full curls on Liberty, and excellent details on the eagle, including his small breast feathers. On the obverse, the die cracked from behind Liberty's eye, through her ear lobe, to the curls below. There are a few other minor die cracks on each side, including one through the tops of UNIT to the last A in AMERICA, and a thin one up from the right side of the first A of that word. Identifiable by a tiny scratch from the point of the lower left serif of the D in UNITED, through the upper serif, to the rim above, and three short scrapes just past that same letter in the field. No adjustment marks are present, and this coin is stunning in every way. This is likely high in the condition census for the variety, as noted in Steve Herrman's Auction & Mail Bid Prices Realized for Bust Half Dollars from 1794 to 1839. A finer example was sold in the James A. Stack sale by Stack's 10/94 sale, lot 476 for $34,100; and different coin was offered as MS-63 by Stack's Sale 3/98 lot 482 which brought $10,450. In addition we note an AU-55 example was sold by Stack's in their Halpern Sale, 5/99, lot 2455 for $11,213. In regard to the Benson coin, we suspect that it is likely tied with the Halpern coin as third finest of the variety. We also note that the Overton/Parsley reprint notes the best in their survey as VF-35. Certain to bring a strong price as such quality is seldom offered for the flowing hair type.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000.
From the Benson collection and purchased from James G. Macallister on March 8, 1944 for $45.00.
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| Realized $19,550 |
