1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar. O-116, T-11. Rarity-4. MS-62 (PCGS).This gorgeous Mint State specimen delivers a technical and aesthetic superiority that well exceeds the assigned grade. Each side glows with a frosty pearlescence, dusted in shades of apricot and gold. Satiny luster cartwheels across the fields at a tilt, showcasing remarkably pristine surfaces. The reverse is thinly veiled behind a weave of shallow adjustment marks most dense at the lower left border. The central elements remain nicely bold despite these adjustments, with select regions of peripheral softness to be noted. Characteristic die cracks and evidence of clashing on the obverse are now dramatic in this later state, and the letters of UNITED are clearly visible behind LIBERTY. Even the best image and most thorough description cannot convey how delightful this piece is to view in person. The 1795 half dollar is a perpetually sought-after issue by both type collectors and specialists. As a representative of the Flowing Hair type, it provides a more available alternative to the elusive first-year issue of 1794, while providing half dollar specialists with 31 known die marriages to pursue. Of the approximately 317,844 1795 Flowing Hair half dollars struck, perhaps as few as 50 remain in Mint State. When considering examples of the O-116 variety, this Mint State population is dwindled down to just about 6 pieces. The unchallenged finest known O-116 is the MS-63+ (PCGS) Kaselitz specimen, behind which ranks a handful of examples tied at the MS-62 level including the present piece and the Eliasberg specimen. The current example is a newcomer to the Condition Census, having been off the radar of numismatists since its acquisition from Stacks in September 1986. A beautiful and important piece for half dollar specialists and PCGS Registry Set participants.Purchased privately from Stacks, September 1986.