1795 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-51, B-14. Rarity-2. Off-Center Bust. MS-62 (PCGS).

1795 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. BB-51, B-14. Rarity-2. Off-Center Bust. MS-62 (PCGS).，This 1795 BB-51 offers undeniable rarity and strong visual appeal for an early United States Mint silver dollar. It is a very well produced coin for its era, with the strike perfectly centered on both sides and uniform denticulation around the borders. The impression from the dies was generally crisp, imparting sharp to full detail throughout much of Libertys hair and the eagles plumage. A touch of softness to the central high points is not unusual for a Draped Bust dollar, and it is far more minor here than typically seen. The obverse stars, reverse wreath and peripheral lettering on both sides are full, as is the all important date.<p>This coins surface preservation is just as impressive as its quality of strike. It is very attractive for the type as well as the assigned grade, and both sides reveal no handling marks of note. The texture is satiny with direct lighting calling forth subtle semi-reflectivity in the fields and iridescent undertones of powder blue and golden-apricot. The superior quality and eye appeal of this silver dollar will attract the attention of advanced type and date collectors alike.<p>When Henry William DeSaussure became Mint Director in June of 1795, he set two goals: to get gold coins to actively circulate and to improve the appearance of each denomination, with particular attention to the silver coinage. DeSaussure contracted with famed portrait artist Gilbert Stuart to prepare a depiction of Liberty to replace Robert Scots Flowing Hair bust. Stuarts design, believed by some to have been a drawing of Ann Willing Bingham of Philadelphia, was then transferred into plaster models and punches by John Eckstein for Scot. Eckstein also prepared improved versions of the Small Eagle reverse punches that showed the eagle in intricate detail and style. For this work Eckstein was paid $30 in September. The resulting Draped Bust, Small Eagle silver dollar is often heralded as a masterpiece from the early United States Mint, with Eckstein "deserving of a niche in the Pantheon of numismatic notables," as Q. David Bowers writes in <em>The Encyclopedia of United States Silver Dollars: 1794-1804 </em>(2013). DeSaussures tenure at the Mint was very short; in October of that same year he resigned his position due in part to illness and general dissatisfaction. While only there for a few months, he made a long-lasting impression on the nations coinage. While the Small Eagle reverse would only be employed until 1798, the Stuart/Eckstein Draped Bust was used for the rest of the series until coinage of silver dollars was suspended sometime in 1804.<p>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. Bowers posits that somewhere in the vicinity of 100,000 coins were produced of both BB-51 and BB-52 and that while the first deliveries likely took place in October, the later deliveries could have extended into 1796. In fact, the reverse die used for BB-52 was used as late as 1798, lending credence to this being the later of the two varieties.<p>BB-51 is the more plentiful of the two die marriages of this issue, and Bowers suggests that 1,400 to 2,000 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 todays 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.，From the A.J. Vanderbilt Collection. Earlier from Paramounts ANA Sale of August 1967, lot 2198; via Stacks. Lot tag included.，