Lot 5005
1795 B-4, BB-14 Flowing Hair 2 Leaves Rarity 3. NGC graded AU-58. Subset of PCGS # 6853. Condition Census. On this obverse, star 15 is "hidden " entirely under the bust, where, anthropormorphizing Miss Liberty, she cannot "see" even a part of it; the only 1795 obverse with this characteristic. Flowing hair in six curls; lowest curl ends faintly above two points of first star, and close to one point. Close date, figures 9 and 5 closest, and the distance between the 1 and 7 about the same as between the first star and figure 1. Obverse die used to strike 1795 BB-14 only.
Combined with Reverse C die used to strike 1795 BB-13 and BB-14.
1795 BB-14 is one of the more readily available issues of the year. The specialist will have no trouble acquiring a specimen in just about any grade up to VF. At the EF level, BB-14 becomes somewhat elusive, but a specimen in this grade can usually be acquired easily with less than a year's search. AU coins are rare, and Mint State examples are very rare.
According to the Bowers encyclopedia, "The rims on this issue are higher than most other 1795 dollars, giving them a somewhat more "modern" appearance than the typical variety of this year. Planchet adjustment marks are not often seen on BB-14. A few pieces I have seen have had black carbon streaks, the result of improper alloy mixing. Probably a batch of 1795 BB-14 dollars was made from an impure alloy melt.
"The only known 1795 dollar overstruck on a previously coined 1794 is of the BB-14 variety and is described at length below. This suggests that 1795 BB-14 was probably included among the first dollars minted in 1795. As such it helps verify the varieties listed in Striking Period 1 were the first struck." Pop 1; none finer at NGC for the variety. Just a single mint state example is known of the B-4, BB-14 dollar. That marvelous specimen has been graded by PCGS as MS62+, and it is currently impounded in a long term collection, and thus unlikely to be available to collectors within the foreseeable future.
Dr. Hesselgesser's Comment: This is the finest BB-14 that I have seen over the last 40 years!
Estimated Value $30,000-UP.
The Dr. Hesselgesser Collection.
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| Realized $33,350 |
