1795 $1 Flowing Hair, BB-17 (Regular Strike)

Q. David Bowers: The following narrative, with minor editing, is from my "Silver Dollars & Trade Dollars of the United States: A Complete Encyclopedia" (Wolfeboro, NH: Bowers and Merena Galleries, Inc., 1993). Note: the Notable Specimens list should be used with caution - it has been updated in my 2013 edition of "The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars 1794-1804."

Obv: Portrait I (Head of '94)
Rev: Eagle I, Wreath I (2 leaves)
(B-18.)

OBVERSE 4: See description under 1795 BB-16. Wide date.
Obverse die used to strike 1795 BB-16, BB-17, and BB-18.

REVERSE E: Two leaves under each wing. The only 1795 reverse die with 19 berries arranged 8x11.
No outer berry under A in STATES.

Reverse die used to strike 1795 BB-17 only.

Notes about other die varieties called Bolender-18 in years past:

A "Bolender-18" variety different from that I list as BB-17 here, billed as a new discovery and described in the December 1952 issue of The Numismatist, and there called Bolender-18, was later called Bolender-21 by collectors. However, today it is called neither Bolender-18 nor Bolender-21, but an early state of 1795 Bolender-6 (now BB-25), to which refer.

The Spies Collection "Bolender-18" coin (Stack's, 1974): 19, was described as: "Unlisted in Bolender. B-13 obverse, B-12 reverse. EF and wholly prooflike, but a few very faint scratches between the 1 and 7." This coin is now included among the listings for 1795 BB-25, Die State 1, while 1795 BB-17 is a different variety.

AUCTION POPULATION SURVEY: None.

COLLECTING NOTES: Douglas Winter reports that at least two are known.

NOTABLE SPECIMENS:

Eliasberg Specimen. The 5th revised edition of the Bolender book, Krause Publications, 1988, p. 21, notes:
"Specimen known in Eliasberg Collection."