1795 Silver Dollar Double Struck Obverse Rotation - 1795 Early $1 Double Struck With Obverse Rotation NGC VF30. BB-27, Double Struck Obverse. Flowing Hair dollars are not common coins, especially when they are double struck. This 1795 example has a doubled obverse, which is seen clearly in the profile of Liberty. The toned coin shows colors of gun-metal gray, tan and light gold. The presence of these colors and the toning attest to the coins originality. The lighter devices stand out against a darker background creating an almost cameo effect. The surfaces are extraordinarily clean for the grade with no notable abrasion marks or other distractions. In addition there are no adjustment marks on this piece. Because of the depth of the obverse portrait and the reverse eagle in the dies, the coin is actually a high relief; consequently, the effigy of Liberty and the representation of the eagle are more worn than the other devices, as expected on a circulated coin.

The coin is identified as the BB-27 variety because of the presence of a bar over 2 millimeters long that extends diagonally from near the top curl toward the point of Star 5. The variety has a wide date with the 1 and 7 farthest from each other. The distances between the Star 1 and 1 in the date, as well as 7 to 9 are about equal. This obverse die was used to strike only the BB-27. The reverse shows three leaves under each wing. There are 13 berries, seven are on the left branch and six are on the right. There are two berries under the first T in STATES. One is inside the wreath and one is outside, and there are four leaves under the first S of STATES. There is a fine die crack from the end of the left stem down to the rim. This die was also used to strike 1795 BB-25 and BB-26.

Occasionally a coin fails to be properly ejected from the striking chamber after being struck. The die comes down again and strikes the coin a second time, and a double struck piece is the result. Sometimes the second strike is on-center and sometimes, like the present coin, it is off center. The second strike obliterates all of the first strike in an on-center double strike but a portion of the first strike remains when the second strike is off center.

Chief Engraver Robert Scot designed the 1795 Flowing Hair silver dollar. It showed a portrait of Liberty facing right with her hair loosely tied behind her head.  Above her head is the word LIBERTY, and the date is below. There are fifteen stars in accord with the number of states that made up the Union at the time, eight to the left and seven to the right. The reverse, which is similar to the Flowing Hair half-dime and half dollar, shows a perched eagle with wings spread looking to the right. A wreath tied with a bow encircles the eagle. The legend UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is in an arc around the eagle. Except for its edge lettering, the coin has no denomination-- something that might appear as a sign of ineptitude on the part of early Mint employees to someone familiar with United States coinage of the 21st century.

The omission was intentional, however, as United States coinage was new to the world market of the 18th century and the term Dollar would have been unfamiliar to merchants of the day. Like European coinage of the time, silver and gold pieces were valued by their weight and fineness so the denomination was largely irrelevant; however, the edge was lettered HUNDRED CENTS ONE DOLLAR OR UNIT with decorative designs in between the words.

Because there was no standardized hubbing, individual punches had to be used for the devices. They were also used for numbers, letters, the stars, and leaf punches. The lack of standardization as well as die deterioration led to many die varieties for each date in the series.

The early Mint in Philadelphia had many challenges. 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. In addition to yellow fever, chaos at the Mint was also caused by chronic bullion shortages, coin dies that would wear out and had to be re-engraved because they were not taken out of production until they failed completely, and a Chief Engraver, Robert Scot, who was in his seventies and had failing eyesight.  

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 he was advanced in years with 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.

In its own right the "non-error" 1795 BB-27 is a rare coin. NGC has certified 30 in VF30 condition, however, these numbers do not account for crossovers or resubmissions and they DO NOT ACCOUNT for Errors. All Double struck 1795 dollars are exceedingly rare. So here we have a rare variety with a unique error. How many such coins could possibly be  available at any price?