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1794 $1 B-1, BB-1, R.4 -- Reverse Scratched -- NGC Details. VF. ...
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Sold on Jan 14, 2026 for:
$134,200.00
Bid Source: HA.com/Live bidder
Description
1794 Silver Dollar, B-1, BB-1, VF Sharpness
First Year Key for the Denomination
Unrecorded Example, Recently Certified
1794 $1 B-1, BB-1, R.4 -- Reverse Scratched -- NGC Details.
VF. Bowers Die State I, no visible clash marks. With only a few
possible exceptions, every 1794 dollar has been studied and
documented in great detail by researchers, including thorough
studies by Walter Breen, Jack Collins, and Martin A. Logies. The
current Logies study, The Flowing Hair Silver Dollars of
1794 (2010) includes images and descriptions for 134 distinct
specimens. The comprehensive reference also suggests a total
population of only 140 to 150 1794 dollars exist today. Not
surprisingly, any unrecorded appearance is an event sure to attract
the interest of most early dollar specialists. It also presents a
rare opportunity collectors wanting to add the elusive 1794 dollar
to their holdings.In the late 1700s, silver coins of similar size and weight to the 1794 dollar were everywhere. Thalers and Spanish milled dollars were traded throughout the world and the fledgling United States needed a showcase denomination to help establish its world presence. Despite being struck on rudimentary equipment too small for the coin's large size, the unfamiliar 1794 dollar was released to the public to circulate alongside the better-known foreign issues. Those foreign coins circulated readily from colonial times and continued to be accepted in commerce into the 1850s. The Flowing Hair dollar was the nation's "public relations coin" as well as the newly issued domestic legal tender. Few pieces survived an initial mintage of 1,758 coins that were deemed suitable for distribution.
We have not been able to match the present coin to any of the listed 1794 specimens, nor have we found a match in any of the 1794 appearances subsequent to the Logies study. Heritage has seen only two unlisted 1794 dollars in the past 25 years, including an About Good Details coin in our August, 2017 ANA Signature sale as lot 4010, plus a VG10 example from the Reverend Dr. James G.K. McClure Collection in our June 2016 Signature Auction, lot 4605.
This unlisted example comes to us from an old-time collection formed many years ago. It is consigned by a dealer who is handling the collection for the collector's family. He notes that the family knew their father collected coins, but he was somewhat secretive and they had no clue about what he had or the value. He owned a restaurant for many years and knew a lot of people. He left no records, so they do not know where or when he bought any of the coins. He primarily collected in the 1950s to 1980s. The daughter of the collector told our consignor she saw her father with his coins and asked him, "Why are you playing with those coins?" His reply was "I'm getting them ready to fund my retirement." He was 98 years old when he said that, and soon passed away.
This is an extremely pleasing 1794 dollar for the grade assignment. Golden-gray surfaces display smooth wear. Stars 1 through 6 are weakly struck as are the lower halves of 1 and 7 in the date. Numerous obverse adjustment marks include a tangle of marks beneath the lowest curl. A pair of short digs exist between 4 and star 15. A tiny rim nick above star 9 is a useful marker for the coin. Lengthy pinscratches encircle the reverse throughout the legend, providing a primary reason for the Details grade. A few light marks and shallow reverse rim dings exist at 7 and 12 o'clock. The letters ITED and STATES are weakly struck, but all else is sharp for the assigned grade. Eye appeal is excellent and the surfaces are far superior to many 1794 dollars at the VF grade, whether impaired or not. The 1794 dollar is perennially listed among the top issues recognized by The 100 greatest U.S. Coins. We expect many bids for this highly collectible example of America's first silver dollar.
From The Brittany Legacy Collection, Part III.
View all of [The Brittany Legacy Collection, Part III ]
Auction Info
2026 January 14 - 17 FUN US Coins Signature® Auction #1390 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
January, 2026
14th-17th
Wednesday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 16
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,470
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
22% of the successful bid per lot.
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