PCGS Confirms New 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar Variety

PCGS_SocialMedia

The coin was struck with a previously unknown obverse die and is now recognized as the new Overton 133 variety. It is the first new major die variety to be discovered on a 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar in more than 90 years.

Follow this link for more: https://www.pcgs.com/news/new-1795-flowing-hair-half-dollar-variety

1630Boston

Very Interesting.

LanceNewmanOCC

congratz to PCGS and the possible submitter!

don't know why i didn't do this earlier?

amwldcoin

That sure is a meaty Obv. for a F15!

CoinPhysicist

Discovery coin and it's a nice F15. Danggggg

carabonnair

Wow!

cameonut2011

I wonder what it is worth. I would love to own it if it isn’t bid into the stratosphere.

CaptHenway

Wow indeed!

BryceM

The reverse on the TrueView is nice too. Looks like a really wholesome F15. Anyone know what the pickup points are for the attribuiton?

carabonnair

@cameonut2011 said:
I wonder what it is worth. I would love to own it if it isn’t bid into the stratosphere.

For comparison, the O-132 sold for $66,000 in September 2018. I wouldn't be surprised if this brought more.

yosclimber

Congrats to @WDP!

keyman64

Really nice looking coin. I wonder why no die details of the pick up points are provided. If you go to CONECA for other series, they always provide as much information as possible. Is this information going to come forward in a future press release?

Nysoto

Amazing!

S15 embedded in tip of bust. Reverse first used on 1794 T-8 (O-102), and T-2, T-3, T-4, and T-5 in 1795.

Emission is after T-4, before T-5. So Tompkins 1795 T-4.5?

Rayman311

Wow. Cool find.

TwoSides2aCoin

Just when it's unheard of, it's heard of.

drddm

Congratulations to the person who discovered this new die marriage!

Dave

EditorAMBPR

@Nysoto said:
Amazing!

S15 embedded in tip of bust. Reverse first used on 1794 T-8 (O-102), and T-2, T-3, T-4, and T-5 in 1795.

Emission is after T-4, before T-5. So Tompkins 1795 T-4.5?

Plus,

S1LH, S8UE, S9UH, S15C. Dentil count is 108.

T in LIBERTY is tipped left (left base of T is lower than base of R and right base of T is higher than base of Y).

Steve

Baley

Wow, what awesome news!
Absolutely astonishing that new dies, not new marriages or a new re-marriages, are still occasionally discovered 200+ years after the coins were minted!

WDP

Thanks @EditorAMBPR for posting the diagnostics for this new obverse die. Much appreciated!

MrEureka

Awesome find. There’s still treasure to be found out there!

johnny9434

That's quite a nice f 15. Congrats to the owner

1northcoin

Thanks for sharing. Just curious did the submitter already recognize the new die variety or was it picked up by PCGS after submission?

LanceNewmanOCC

i bet the overton collectors LOVE this but whisper, great, another one i'll most likely never have.

those obv diagnostics really make this an easy one to spot imo; especially now we know what to look for!

it would be neat to have a thread to track big new discoveries like this. i recall a few new bust dollar marriages coming to light this past decade and i think it was a half dime at ngc? really early one.

WDP

@1northcoin , thanks for asking this question. This new 1795 FH O-133 die marriage was discovered prior to the coin being sent to PCGS. When I submitted the coin to PCGS I included documentation supporting the attribution of the new obverse die.

This die marriage at first glance looks like 1795 O-122, an R-5 die marriage with maybe 40 examples known (rare itself!).

WDP

@johnny9434 , thanks for your kind words, "That's quite a nice f 15. Congrats to the owner."

We appreciate it.

WDP

@eureka posted, "Awesome find. There’s still treasure to be found out there!"

You're right on "there's still treasure to be found!" Once every 100 years or so anyway....

Thanks.

carabonnair

@WDP said:

This die marriage at first glance looks like 1795 O-122, an R-5 die marriage with maybe 40 examples known (rare itself!).

Everyone is going to double-check their O-122's now.

BestGerman

Looks like a six figure F15 to me

KindaNewish

And this gives me hope that someday PCGS will recognize 20c die varieties, that's the only chance that I'll ever own one of those coveted "Discovery Coin" holders.

Or maybe I can rename my registry sets to "the discovery coin collection" and pay for a vanity reholder?

JimW

I ran to check my unattributed OGH I bought 20 years ago - awwwwww.......

LanceNewmanOCC

@KindaNewish said:
And this gives me hope that someday PCGS will recognize 20c die varieties, that's the only chance that I'll ever own one of those coveted "Discovery Coin" holders.

why the only chance? being facetious? i have a reason for asking.

astrorat

@drddm said:
Congratulations to the person who discovered this new die marriage!

Dave

Indeed!

WDP

I'll pass it on. Thanks.

golden

A lot of meat for a 15 coin.

keyman64

I have a Barber Dime RPD Discovery coin. What's the criteria for getting a coin into a PCGS Discovery Coin holder? How does one go about this? Thanks!

LanceNewmanOCC

@keyman64 said:
I have a Barber Dime RPD Discovery coin. What's the criteria for getting a coin into a PCGS Discovery Coin holder? How does one go about this? Thanks!

is it listed by FS?

keyman64

@LanceNewmanOCC said:

@keyman64 said:
I have a Barber Dime RPD Discovery coin. What's the criteria for getting a coin into a PCGS Discovery Coin holder? How does one go about this? Thanks!

is it listed by FS?

No, it would be a new discovery. To avoid hijacking this thread, I posted photos and details in the Barber thread to get input. Thanks.

lkeigwin

Just amazing. Think of it. 90 years since the last major variety.

Here's a close up of the key diagnostic...T in LIBERTY tipped left...as @EditorAMBPR cited. The O.122 (it was mistaken for) and the new O.133.
Lance.

GoBust

Amazing study by the discoverer because the obvious features of the two obverse dies are so similar at first glance, star through curl on the right and start into the end of the bust on the left. Once you see the reverse die crack (shared by both the 133 and 122), most people don't look further. But this astute collector did!
Rumors are already circulating of another 133, that wouldn't surprise me if another couple show up given the obvious obverse die simularities that would easily fool someone into thinking it's a 122. But all the bust half mavens and cherry pickers are on the hunt! Do look for the reverse die crack and the tilting T... let's go!

NSP

I love when finds like these get reported. It’s amazing that this die marriage remained undiscovered for 225 years!

Namvet69

Any bets on how many days before a few show up on Alibaba for sale. Peace Roy

ricko

Now that is really impressive....an entire new variety of a very well scrutinized and studied coin series. Thanks for the pictures and details. Cheers, RickO

GoBust

Really brilliant observation!

yosclimber

@lkeigwin said:
Just amazing. Think of it. 90 years since the last major variety.

Here's a close up of the key diagnostic...T in LIBERTY tipped left...as @EditorAMBPR cited. The O.122 (it was mistaken for) and the new O.133.
Lance.

A simpler description might be:
O.122: T centered under a dentil
O.133: T centered under a gap between dentils.

Jimnight

That's nice!

shorecoll

I don't have one, don'y have a 122 to confuse it with.

asheland

That's awesome!

Treashunt

It is amazing

astrorat

@yosclimber said:
A simpler description might be:
O.122: T centered under a dentil
O.133: T centered under a gap between dentils.

Nicely simplified ...

carabonnair

The 1795 O-122 has an interesting history. In the 1881 Haseltine sale there was only a "poor" example of H.32 - "excessively rare; the only one I have seen." It is now considered rarity 5. It seems that the R-7 O-123 (H.29) marriage was struck before a re-marriage of the O-122 pair again. I believe this is the only re-marriage among the Flowing Hair halves.

Lot 412 of the A. C. Gies collection (Stacks, October 1940) lists as "1795 Not in Hazeltines [sic], obverse of H. 29. Reverse H. 32 Uncirculated with mint lustre but toned, nicely centered, so choice discovered by Mr. Gies. Extremely rare."

The way it is described is a puzzle. I had assumed this is referring to the re-marriage O-122. I don't think anyone knows where the Gies coins ended up - I don't find any nowadays with that pedigree. And the Stacks sale did not have photos. But now I wonder if it could have been one of this new marriage "Overton 133"...

GoBust

Confirmed by three sources a second example had actually been discovered. Plated in a prior auction apparently. I haven't looked it up yet.