1794 marked the first year of the half dollar denomination at the Philadelphia Mint and most examples of the 1794 Flowing Hair half dollar are either the Overton 101 or O-101a varieties as listed in Al C. Overton’s book Early Half Dollar Varieties 1794-1836.

Heritage offered one of the finest examples of the rarer O-104 die marriage on Jan. 21 in Dallas, where it traded hands for $7,200. Graded Professional Coin Grading Service Genuine, Streak Removed, Extremely Fine Details, Heritage noted that it was formerly housed in an About Uncirculated Details Numismatic Conservation Services holder. Heritage added that some luster remains in the protected areas.

The cataloger reports that some Mint-made parallel planchet adjustment marks are seen on the reverse, adding, “as minted is the partially retained lamination, which is the width of the T in LIBERTY and descends diagonally from the rim into Liberty’s forehead.”

Heritage concludes, “The coin has been inoffensively cleaned to diminish the visual impact of the flan flaw.” The firm notes on its appealing features, “The sea-green and rose-red peripheral toning is pleasing, and post-strike abrasions are incidental.”

The coin had previously sold twice in 2014, for $6,462.50 and $7,637.50.

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