PCGS Vs. You: 1795 Flowing Hair Half Dollar

XF45 seems fair, with a shot at AU50. This is a very nice piece by the way, much finer than my type example which is graded PCGS VF25. Are you considering a purchase?

I am going to net grade to VF 25 because of old cleaning.

Wow. We already are ranging from VF(25-30) to AU(50)! This one, which is NOT mine, is the same grade as mine, but seems to have MUCH more detail, especially on the eagle--again, this is why I am asking about this one. Others in the same grade as mine seem to have significantly less detail too...The standards seem all over the place!




Mine actually has traces of luster (if looked at from the right angle), and a pretty original gray patina, which is cool because a lot of the 1795 half dollars I have looked at seem to be very dark.

@Jaobler: Thanks! I actually purchased this one already (it was my big purchase of the year) for a type set of half dollars (I am pretending the 1796 and 1797 ones don't exist). Does yours have comparable details?

I'm in the 40-45 camp.
John1

I'll say EF-45.

Here it is! Thanks for sharing your opinions, and yeah, it seems like there is a lot of subjectivity in how these early US coins are graded, even by the professionals! I like my example--and I like the price I got it for. I posted another example of the same grade which seems to have many more details, but I wonder if it has the same original color and traces of luster mine has. Eventually, I will want to upgrade this one to one with less wear on the cheek and the eagle's eye being more clearly visible, but for now, this is a flagstone in my collection.

Thanks for your personal and passionate response, @paralyse. Sometimes TPG distracts us from the actual coins in favor of bold-faced font behind plastic. This is the lowest grade half dollar in my type collection (my 1807 one is EF(45), but weakly struck and my 1892 Barber Half is AU(50)), but it certainly has its originality, beauty, and history on its side. With silver half dollars and dollars of this era, fifty cents was a lot of money then, and I always wonder if a famous person or founding father once held this coin. Oh, the stories we wish they could tell us!

Seems pretty spot on. And congrats, it is a great looking piece!

(Would have put the other XF40 you posted at a 45-50, does seem a bit undergraded).

Technically VF-35 but they always overgrade these for some reason which escapes me. Definitely no higher than the EF-40 on the slab.