Pogue Collection Coin by Great Collections ….
On Sunday, November 22, bidding ends at GreatCollections.com for this beautifully toned 1795 Flowing Hair half dime (LM-10) from the Pogue Collection, graded MS-67 by PCGS and approved by CAC.
Most rare early US coin experts agree that this example, with its original luster still intact, is the finest of the three specimens reported by PCGS at the top pop grade of MS-67. Its most notable appearance at auction was on May 19, 2015, as part of the first Pogue sale, where it sold for $176,250 USD – the current record for the type. But while few auctions will stimulate the kind of competition between big-name collectors like the Pogue sales did, this coin is still highly sought after; it sold in September of this year for $132,000.
And at the time of writing, the high bid for this 1795 Flowing Hair half dime is $127,500 after 84 bids.
For more auction results, you can search through the GreatCollections Auction Archives, with records for over 600,000 certified coins the company has sold over the past seven years.
Background of the Flowing Hair Half Dime
Struck in 1795 but dated both 1795 and 1794, the Flowing Hair half dime features a version of the design that appeared on the 1792 half disme, which is acknowledged as the first coin struck under the authority of the Coinage Act of the same year (this act also established the other denominations of American coinage and the United States Mint itself). Modified by first Chief Engraver Robert Scot, the portrait of Liberty is similar to the one appearing on 1794 copper half cents and cents but without the liberty cap and pole. The new design appears not only on half dimes but also on half dollars and dollar silver coins, reflecting the early Mint policy that all silver coins share a common design. Because these early circulating coins were valued by weight, no denomination appears on the coin.
Though today Flowing Hair coins are appreciated for their historic as well as artistic merit, criticism at the time of issue of the less-than-aristocratic appearance of Liberty apparently lead to a different portrait in 1796. The eagle was also slightly modified but that basic design remained until replaced by the Heraldic Eagle in 1800.
Design
On the obverse, a youthful Liberty faces right, head held high with long hair flowing unfettered down the back of her neck. The word LIBERTY is centered at the top inside a denticled rim, with the date centered at the bottom. Eight six-pointed stars are on the left and seven are to the right along the rim between the top and bottom text.
On the reverse, the legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA runs along the edge of the coin inside the denticled rim. Just inside the legend is an encircling pair of olive branches, crossed and tied at the bottom but slightly separated at the top. In the center, a right-facing eagle with outstretched wings rests on eiher a cloud or rock. The left wing (viewer’s right) is in front of the olive branch wreath, the right behind it. No denomination or mintmark appears on the coins; all were minted at the Philadelphia Mint.
The edge is reeded.
