The Philadelphia Mint started striking silver dollars in 1794, and the 1795 Flowing Hair dollar is the first accessible issue in the series, since all 1794 dollars are expensive. For example, a 1794 dollar graded Professional Coin Grading Service Genuine, Very Fine Details, Repaired, one of just 137 confirmed examples of the date, sold for $84,000 in Heritage’s Long Beach auction.

Collectors have more options with the 1795 Flowing Hair dollar, which has two distinct reverse varieties: one with two leaves beneath each eagle’s wing and another with three leaves beneath each wing. Heritage offered a Two Leaves example, described as BB-20 in the Bowers/Borckardt reference, and like other BB-20 dollars, the obverse shows sharper details than the reverse, where the eagle’s breast feathers are not fully defined.

Heritage writes, “This MS-62 example flirts with the low end of the Condition Census,” adding, “The fields are free of most marks, although a number of tiny ticks exist on Liberty’s cheek and neck to account for the assigned grade.” The luster on this early dollar remains flashy and, despite the marks, the overall eye appeal is solid. It sold for $75,000 in Long Beach. 

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