1795 S$1 Flowing Hair (1795 Silver Dollar) NGC XF40. BB-27. This Flowing Hair 1795 Silver Dollar has an above average strike with details on the obverse stars and the eagles wings. Since Libertys head was deeply impressed on the obverse die of this coin, it was in high relief and the hair details wore away quickly in circulation. Some mint luster remains in protected areas. The toned surfaces are predominantly silver-grey and tan. For the grade, which is confirmed by Libertys lower hair being defined and detailed, the surfaces are clean, original, and free of distractions worthy of individual mention. The bar that extends diagonally from close to the top curl toward the point of the fifth star is a diagnostic for the variety. So are the three leaves under each wing, the 13 berries, and the four leaves under the first S in STATES.

Chief Engraver Robert Scots designed the Flowing Hair Dollar. It was issued from 1794 to 1795. It showed a portrait of Liberty facing right with her hair loosely tied behind her head. This feature evolved from the Flowing Hair Liberty portrait that was featured on Joseph Wrights Libertas Americans Medal of 1783. Over time Liberty was turned to the right and was shown without the liberty pole and cap. However, the basic idea of Libertys hair free flowing, is similar to the earlier concept. Above her head is the word LIBERTY, and the date is below. There are fifteen stars in accord with the number of states that made up the Union in 1795, eight to the left and seven to the right. The reverse, which is similar to the Flowing Hair Half Dime and Half Dollar, shows a perched eagle with wings spread looking to the right. A wreath tied with a bow encircles the eagle. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc around the eagle. Except for its edge lettering, the coin has no denomination-- something that might appear as a sign of ineptitude on the part of early Mint employees to someone familiar with United States coinage of the 21st century. The omission was intentional, however, as United States coinage was new to the world market of the 18th century and the term Dollar would have been unfamiliar to merchants of the day. Like European coinage of the time, silver and gold pieces were valued by their weight and fineness so the denomination was largely irrelevant. Prior to the issuance of silver coinage, only copper coins were made because neither the Chief Coiner, Henry Voigt, nor the Assayer, Albion Cox, could post the $10,000 bond required to be responsible for gold and silver. Thomas Jefferson recommended to President Washington that this bond requirement be reduced. Washington agreed, and in 1794 Scot was able to produce a die for the cent, half dollar, and the dollar coins. Since there was no standardized hubbing, individual punches were used for numbers, letters, the stars, and leaf punches. The edge was lettered HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT with decorative designs in between the words.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence. In addition to yellow fever, chaos at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages, coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely, and a Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.

Only 98 BB-27 1795 dollars have been certified by NGC and 18 by PCGS making the variety rare in all grades. In XF40 NGC has certified 13 with 38 better.