1795 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-51, B-14. Rarity-2. Off-Center Bust. MS-64 (PCGS).
This 1795 BB-51 offers undeniable rarity and strong visual appeal for an early United States Mint silver dollar. Pleasing cartwheel luster on deep olive-gray surfaces, toned with a stunning array of rose, violet, gold, and two shades of blue. The reverse shows a wider range of toning than the obverse, but the visual appeal is equally superb on both sides. Near-fully struck from the centers to the borders, just a tiny flat spot on the eagle's forward leg. Some short adjustment marks (as made) are visible in places inside the border on the reverse, most notably at 6 o'clock and along the top of the word UNITED, with a few individual signs of adjustment over and around the eagle's breast. Those few handling marks that are present are trivial. A handsome, well-detailed, and nicely preserved 1795 Draped Bust dollar. Two different die combinations were used for the 1795 Draped Bust dollar. The die pair believed to have been struck first is the so-called Off-Center Bust variety, BB-51, which features Liberty appearing too far to the left from the center, a position used only on this die pair. This positioning was corrected to a more aesthetically pleasing centered location on the second variety, the BB-52 pair. The precise number struck and timing of each variety is unclear. Mint records from the time are not as thorough as scholars would like and much of what can be determined is conjecture. The commonly cited mintage figure of 42,738 is believed to be only a portion of the overall total for the 1795 Draped Bust dollar. Writing in his excellent 2022 reference Eagle Poised on a Bank of Clouds Harry E. Salyards estimates that 83,178 coins were produced of both BB-51 and BB-52, and that while the first deliveries almost certainly took place in late September or early October, the later deliveries likely extended into 1796. BB-51 is the more plentiful of the two die marriages of this issue, and Salyards suggests that 725 to 1,200 coins are extant in all grades. With the typical survivor grading VF, however, even EF and AU coins are scarce in an absolute sense, and rare relative to the demand for them in today's numismatic hobby. Mint State examples are rare by any measure. This is among our most significant offerings for both the issue and variety in recent memory, and it is sure to see spirited competition when bidding opens.
PCGS# 96858. NGC ID: 24X2.
PCGS Population: 1; 4 finer (MS-66 finest).
Ex Stack Family Type Set; Joseph O'Connor; Oliver Jung; Cardinal Collection; our (American Numismatic Rarities') sale of the Cardinal Collection, June 2005, lot 15; Jack Lee; Heritage's sale of the Estate of Jack Lee Collection, January 2009 FUN Signature Auction, lot 3935.

Estimate: $165000