The early United States Mint practice of inserting silver plugs into half dollars and dollars to regulate their weights is perhaps one of the most romanticized techniques used to produce America’s first coinage. It recalls an era of handcrafted workmanship and motivates today’s collectors to examine their Flowing Hair coinage in the hopes of uncovering one of these surprises.
We are delighted to offer an important silver-plugged 1795 O-130 half dollar in our March 2020 Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring Expo in Baltimore. Recently certified for the first time at Good-6 (PCGS), it has been held in a private collection for two decades and is now appearing on the market for the first time in a generation.
This piece owes its existence to the difficulties faced by the early United States Mint in producing high quality planchets at the correct weight and fineness. In 1795, half dollars and other silver coins were made only at the specific denomination requests of depositors. Metal was refined, strips rolled out, and planchets made at the Mint, often slightly overweight so that they could be trimmed by filing. If they had attempted to achieve a precise weight, a generous portion would have been underweight and would have had to have been corrected. As it was, some were indeed underweight, as here. Mint employees used the silver plugging technique as a means of bringing underweight planchets up to standard. This process was not without precedent, having been used in other world mints at that time.
This experiment was first noted on 1795 Flowing Hair silver dollars, publicized after research conducted by Kenneth W. Bressett, Q. David Bowers and Roger W. Burdette. After continued study by specialists, that denomination appears to have been the primary target of the practice, as the vast majority of silver plug U.S. Mint coins are silver dollars. Most of these are 1795 Flowing Hair dollars, although the unique 1794 silver dollar with a silver plug (the celebrated Carter-Cardinal-Morelan specimen) points to an earlier attempt.
The silver plug technique was used far less often with half dollars. Surviving examples of this denomination are exceedingly rare and eagerly sought. In fact, we are aware of only four silver plug half dollars that are positively confirmed to exist, all of which are dated 1795.
The present example is the first silver plug half dollar that we have offered since our 2015 Baltimore Auction, where we sold an example from the 1795 O-128 dies for $49,937. Incredibly, an example of this type was missing from our November 2019 sale of the nearly-complete E. Horatio Morgan Collection of Half Dollar Varieties. The piece presented in our upcoming March auction was last offered in Sheridan Downey’s Mail Bid Sale #24 of November 1999 and has resided in a private collection for the past two decades.
It is incredibly handsome with overall slate-gray surfaces and swaths of darker olive-brown patina around the devices. Flashes of sapphire-blue glow around UNITED, further contributing to the exceptional eye appeal. The silver plug is distinct at the center of each side, appearing like a full moon against the evening sky on the obverse. It appears as a darker olive-brown sphere on the reverse, starkly contrasting with the lighter surround metal. The coin is evenly worn with smooth surfaces and has nearly all elements discernible. Liberty’s portrait remains particularly bold, while the eagle’s head has been worn into obscurity. A few hairline scratches are noted at 10 o’clock on the obverse. It is difficult to imagine a more appealing silver plug Flowing Hair half dollar at the Good-6 grade level. This is an important opportunity for advanced collectors, and we anticipate fierce bidder competition and a very strong price when this lot crosses the block.
This rare silver-plugged 1795 half dollar will be featured in our March 2020 Baltimore Auction, which is highlighted by the D. Brent Pogue Collection, Parts VI and VII, the ESM Collection of Half Cents, the Harrington Collection, and further rarities from the E. Horatio Morgan Collection. To secure your copy of this exciting catalog speak with a numismatic representative today at 800-566-2580 or email consign@Stacksbowers.com . Also, download our mobile app to view and participate in our auctions via your Android or Apple device.
Utaratibu wa mapema wa United States Mint wa kuingiza vijiti vya fedha katika nusu dola na dola ili kudhibiti uzito wao labda ni moja ya mbinu za kimapenzi zaidi zilizotumiwa kutengeneza sarafu ya kwanza ya Amerika. Inaikumbusha enzi ya kazi ya mikono na kuhamasisha wakusanyaji wa leo kuchunguza sarafu zao za Nywele zinazotiririka kwa matumaini ya kufunua moja ya mshangao huu. "Tunafurahi kutoa ""dola nusu ya 1795 O-130 iliyofungwa kwa fedha"" katika mnada wetu rasmi wa Machi 2020 wa Whitman Coin & Collectibles Spring Expo huko Baltimore." Iliyothibitishwa hivi karibuni kwa mara ya kwanza katika Good6 (PCGS), imekuwa ikishikiliwa katika mkusanyiko wa kibinafsi kwa miongo miwili na sasa inaonekana kwenye soko kwa mara ya kwanza katika kizazi. Kipande hiki kinapaswa kuwepo kwa ugumu uliokabiliwa na United States Mint mapema katika kuzalisha planchets za ubora wa juu kwa uzito sahihi na fineness. Mwaka 1795 sarafu za nusu dola na fedha zilitengenezwa kwa ajili ya watu waliotaka kuhifadhi pesa. Chuma kilitengenezwa kwa njia ya kusafishwa, vipande vilivyotengenezwa kwa njia ya kusafishwa, na vipande vilivyotengenezwa kwa njia ya kusafishwa, mara nyingi vilikuwa na uzito wa juu kidogo ili viweze kukatwa kwa kufanywa. Kama wangejaribu kupata uzito sahihi, sehemu kubwa ingekuwa chini ya uzito na ingekuwa lazima kurekebishwa. Kama ilivyokuwa, baadhi walikuwa kweli underweight, kama hapa. Wafanyakazi wa Mint walitumia mbinu ya kufunga fedha kama njia ya kuleta planchets zenye uzito mdogo hadi kiwango. Utaratibu huo ulikuwa na vielelezo, kwa kuwa ulitumiwa katika maduka mengine ya sarafu ulimwenguni wakati huo. "Kipimo hiki kilitambuliwa kwa mara ya kwanza kwenye dola za fedha za ""Flowing Hair"" za mwaka wa 1795 na kuchapishwa baada ya utafiti uliofanywa na Kenneth W. Bressett, Q. David Bowers na Roger W. Burdette." Baada ya utafiti ulioendelea na wataalamu, inaonekana kwamba thamani hiyo ilikuwa lengo kuu la mazoezi, kama idadi kubwa ya sarafu za fedha za US Mint ni dola za fedha. "Mfano wa ""Flowing Hair"" ni dola ya fedha ya 1794 iliyo na plagi ya fedha, ambayo ni mfano wa kwanza wa ""Carter-Cardinal-Moreland.""" Mbinu ya kuziba fedha ilitumiwa mara chache sana kwa nusu dola. Mifano iliyohifadhiwa ya madhehebu hayo ni nadra sana na inatafutwa kwa bidii. Kwa kweli, tunajua tu dola nne za fedha zilizotengenezwa kwa fedha ambazo zimethibitishwa kuwa zipo, zote zikiwa na tarehe ya 1795. "Kama mfano, hii ni ""silver plug"" ya kwanza ya dola nusu ambayo tumetoa tangu mnada wetu wa Baltimore wa 2015, ambapo tuliuza mfano kutoka kwa O-128 ya 1795 kwa $ 49,937." "Hata hivyo, ""mfano wa aina hii haukuwepo katika mauzo yetu ya Novemba 2019 ya karibu kamili ya E. Horatio Morgan Mkusanyiko wa Aina za Dola Nusu.""" "Kipande cha ""Machapisho ya Machi"" kilitolewa kwa mara ya mwisho katika ""Sheridan Downey's Mail Bid Sale"" #24 ya Novemba 1999 na imekuwa katika mkusanyiko wa kibinafsi kwa miongo miwili iliyopita." Ni nzuri sana na jumla slate-kijivu nyuso na swathes ya giza mzeituni-kahawia patina karibu vifaa. Mwangaza wa bluu ya sapphire huangaza kuzunguka UNITED, na hivyo kuchangia zaidi kuvutia kwa macho. Pembe ya fedha inaonekana wazi katikati ya kila upande, ikionekana kama mwezi kamili dhidi ya anga la jioni kwenye mbele. Inaonekana kama mviringo mweusi wa rangi ya kahawia ya mzeituni upande wa nyuma, ukitofautiana sana na chuma nyepesi cha kuzunguka. Sarafu hiyo imevaa kwa usawa na ina nyuso laini na ina karibu vipengele vyote vinavyoonekana. Picha ya Uhuru inabaki kuwa yenye ujasiri hasa, huku kichwa cha tai kikiwa kimepitwa na wakati. Vipande vichache vya nywele vimeonekana saa kumi upande wa mbele. Ni vigumu kufikiria zaidi ya kuvutia fedha kuziba Hair Mtiririko nusu dola katika Good-6 daraja ngazi. Hii ni fursa muhimu kwa wakusanyaji wa hali ya juu, na tunatarajia ushindani mkali wa mnada na bei kubwa sana wakati lot hii inapita block. "Dola hii ya nusu ya fedha ya 1795 itapatikana katika mnada wetu wa Baltimore wa Machi 2020, ambao unaangaziwa na ""D. Brent Pogue Collection, Sehemu VI na VII, ESM Collection of Half Cents, Harrington Collection, na vitu vingine vya kawaida kutoka kwa E. Horatio Morgan Collection.""" Kwa ajili ya kuhifadhi nakala yako ya orodha hii ya kusisimua, wasiliana na mwakilishi wa numismatic leo katika 800-566-2580 au barua pepe consign@stacksbowers.com. Pia, kupakua programu yetu ya simu ya mkononi kuona na kushiriki katika mnada wetu kupitia kifaa chako cha Android au Apple.