1795 Half Dollar - 1795 50C NGC XF40. Two Leaves, O-130, R5. This rare, first type of issue 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar shows colors of silver-gray, darker gray at the rims, and highlights of silver, which are most prominent in Libertys hair and the left side of the eagle. The surfaces are completely original, as attested to by these colors, and clean with no visible abrasion marks or other distractions. Libertys hair is lightly worn, in keeping with the grade, but it is well defined and shows significant detail, especially in the back and down her neck.

The O-130 variety is identified by the point of Star 1 that pierces through the open lower curl. The curl forms a blunt hook. Star 2 has a point that is close to the left side of the second curl. The point of the bust is centered in between the two points of Star 15 and close to it. The date is 8 millimeters wide, and Libertys mouth is open. The same obverse die is used on O-129 and O-131. The reverse has 7 berries on the left and 10 on the right. It is the only 1795 reverse die with this berry distribution.

First authorized in 1792, the half dollar was not minted until 1794. Chief Coiner Henry Voigt and Assayer Albion Cox could not raise the $10,000 bond required to take office. For this reason, only copper coins were made in 1793. To ameliorate this situation, Thomas Jefferson wrote to President Washington asking him to request that Congress lower the bond requirement. He ultimately prevailed, and Robert Scot, the new Engraver made the dies for the half dollar.

The Flowing Hair half dollar was issued from 1794 to 1795. It showed Liberty facing right surrounded with 8 six-pointed stars on the left of LIBERTY and 7 on the right with the date blow. The Small Eagle reverse showed a thin eagle looking right with outstretched wings. It is perched on a cloud and surrounded by a wreath tied in a bow at the bottom. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA surrounds the design with dentils on both sides. The denomination is on the edge of the coin as FIFTY CENTS OR A HALF DOLLAR. The denomination not being on the coin itself was not unusual. The early Mint imitated the Europeans who did not place denominations on coins because they were made of precious metals and were valued as commodities by their weight and fineness.

Scot was born in 1744. It is uncertain if he was born in Edinburgh, Scotland or in England. He was trained as a watchmaker in England and learned engraving afterwards. He moved to the United States in 1777, where he worked as an engraver of plates, bills of exchange, and office scales. During the Revolution, he was an engraver of paper money. In 1781 he moved to Philadelphia. He was appointed Chief Engraver of the United States Mint on November 23, 1793 by David Rittenhouse, Mint Director. His salary in 1795 was $1,200 per year. The Mint Director received only $800 dollars per year more. Scots ability to make dies was limited, and in his advanced years he had failing eyesight. His work was somewhat less than that done in Europe at the time, and Scot was criticized for its poor quality. Despite these limitations, he was responsible for designs of most of Americas first coins. These include the Flowing Hair and the Draped Bust motifs used on early silver coins and the Capped Bust gold coins. Scot also designed the 1794-1797 half-cent, the 1800-1808 draped bust half-cent, and the Thomas Jefferson Indian Peace Medal.

The early Mint in Philadelphia had many challenges. Conditions were poor even at times chaotic. Each of the specialists, the designers, engravers, and press operators were men who had previously worked in other fields. Coin manufacturing was a new trade for them. Production was sporadic. For the new Mint to coin each of the mandated denominations, it took four years. This delay was partly because of inexperience and governmental obstacles. Bonds that were unrealistically high were impediments to engravers working with precious metals. Congress was not united on the need for a government mint since private and foreign coinage seemed to work. Because of the non-existent or low production numbers in the early years of the Mint, foreign copper, silver and gold circulated along with American made coins for many years until they were later demonetized.

Record keeping in the Mints early years was fairly inaccurate. At the end of the eighteenth century Philadelphia had recovered from the British occupation and Revolutionary War. It was the second largest city in the English-speaking world, but it could do nothing to protect its citizens from the mosquito-borne epidemic of yellow fever. Its wealthy citizens went to the countryside to escape, and the poor grimly waited their fate. Of course these annual epidemics caused havoc with all manufacturing that required continuity, such as a coinage sequence. The Mint shut operations during the late summer and early fall every year. In addition to yellow fever, disorder at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages and coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely. Often dies were locked up and later taken out of storage without great attention and care. There was also a jealous Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.  

In its population report, NGC shows only the present coin, the 1795 O-130, certified at the XF40 level with 5 better. At PCGS there are none in XF40 with 1 better.