US Coins

Unusually toned Flowing Hair half dollar sells for just over 3k

By Steve Roach

Published: Mar 7, 2015, 4 AM

This rainbow-toned 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar graded Fine 15 with an NGC Star brought $3,172.50 at Stack’s Bowers’ Feb. 5 auction.

Images courtesy Stack’s Bowers Galleries.

Stack’s Bowers Galleries annual Americana Auction, held this year Feb. 5, 6 and 10 in New York City, never fails to introduce new discoveries to the marketplace. The auction was anchored by the Stephen Winthrop Collection, which realized $1.3 million. Those funds will be donated to further ALS research — often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" — through Harvard University’s ALS Initiative program.

Here is one of three interesting coins from the auction that Coin World is profiling in its latest Market Analysis:

The coin:

Unusually toned 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar, Fine 15

The price:

$3,172.50

The story:

It’s unusual to see a well-circulated silver coin with rainbow toning. This 1795 Flowing Hair half dollar graded Fine 15 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp. with an NGC ? designating eye appeal within the grade sold for $3,172.50.

The Flowing Hair half dollar was struck in 1794 and 1795, and the issue is in demand from both type collectors and variety collectors. This one is classified as Overton 8 in the standard reference on the series and the reverse shows two leaves under each wing of the eagle on the reverse. Other half dollars from 1795 show three leaves under each wing.

The toning, described as “vibrant concentric iridescence,” includes rich jewel tones. The generally clean surfaces are described as “uniformly worn, yet very handsomely preserved without a remarkable incident of wear on either side.”