1795 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar. BB-26, B-12. Rarity-5. Three Leaves. AU-55 (PCGS). This is one of the rarer die marriages of the 1795 Flowing Hair dollar, and it is described thus in the 2013 reference <em>The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars: 1794-1804 </em>by Q. David Bowers:<p><em>1795 BB-26 is believed to exist to the extent of 100 to 150 coins, most of which are in lower grades up to and including VF. Fine grade seems to be about par for this variety, an issue which must have circulated very extensively. The variety is very rare EF and unknown in Mint State. Any specimen which grades EF or higher is Condition Census level.</em><p><em></em><em>In his 1881 </em>Type-Table<em>, this was one of the varieties J.W. Haseltine designated as excessively rare.</em><p>A fitting introduction to our offering of this, the finest-known example of a rare early dollar die marriage.<p>Through plate matching we have determined that this piece is the plate coin for the variety on page 215 of the 1993 edition of the Bowers silver and trade dollar encyclopedia. The coin is identifiable by a concentration of criss-crossing adjustment marks (as made) in the center of the obverse, another concentration of lighter adjustment marks along the obverse border outside stars 3 to 6, a small X scratch in the right obverse field inside star 10, and a tiny reverse abrasion below the left (facing) ribbon end. Research conducted by early dollar specialist W. David Perkins confirms that this coin was once part of the William F. Gable Collection (auctioned by S.H. Chapman in 1914) and, later, the collection of Frank M. Stirling. Incidentally, Perkins believes that BB-26 is even rarer than Bowers states, and he assigns the variety a Rarity-6 rating and accounts for only 30 or so survivors. (Perkins findings about both this coin and the 1795 BB-26 are unpublished as far as we know, although they were included in the description for lot 8117 in Heritages sale of July 2003.)<p>The bold die crack (as struck) from the lower-obverse border, through the digit 7 in the date and into Libertys portrait to the ear confirms not only the BB-26 die marriage, but also a Die State III attribution. Unlike most examples of this die state, however, this coin is boldly struck throughout to include the centers. This feature impressed Q. David Bowers when he handled this coin in the 1980s for, in his 1993 <em>Silver Dollar Encyclopedia</em>, he states of this piece: "An AU-55 examined by the author had excellent center detail on obverse and reverse." Both sides are lightly-to-moderately toned in a mostly pearl-gray hue, the color perhaps a bit bolder on the obverse. Aside from the aforementioned identifiers there are no marks of note, and ample evidence of a frosty to semi-reflective finish is still readily evident in the fields as the surfaces dip into a light. Advanced early dollar specialists take note: once this coin sells it may be many years before it finds its way back onto the open market. An extremely important opportunity to acquire a CC#1 Flowing Hair silver dollar. Ex S.H. Chapman sale of the William F. Gable Collection, May 1914, lot 614; unknown intermediaries; Frank M. Stirling Collection; Heritages A.N.A. Mid-Winter Auction of February 1986, lot 1322; our (Bowers and Merenas) Ebenezer Milton Saunders Collection sale, November 1987, lot 372; our (Bowers and Merenas) Brooks Collection sale, June 1989, lot 161; Superiors Father Flanagans Boys Home Sale, May 1990, lot 450; Heritages sale of the James L. Moore Collection, July 2003 lot 8117; our (American Numismatic Rarities) Cardinal Collection sale, June 2005, lot 13; our Baltimore Auction of November 2010, lot 2192; Heritages Chicago ANA Signature Auction of August 2015, lot 4152.
