Coin Specifications

The first half dollars produced in America were authorized by the Act of April 2, 1792. The design for the Flowing Hair Half Dollar was the same as the half dimes and silver dollars issued in the first year. Although the Flowing Hair Silver Dollars usually get most of the attention, the half dollar denomination is important and rare in its own right.

The coins were minted for only two years from 1794 to 1795. As specified by the Act, the composition was 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper. The weight of the coins is 13.48 grams, although variance is possible. In the early days of the mint, some overweight planchets were filed and underweight planchets could be plugged. As a result, some surviving Flowing Hair Half Dollars show adjustment marks or silver plugs, although these are not usually detrimental to the collectible value of this important series.

Flowing Hair Half Dollar Coin Specifications

halves flowing hair

Authorized under the Coinage Act of 1792, the first silver dollar coins in America were produced with the minting of the Flowing Hair Dollar. This historically unique series had some interesting and variable aspects related to its specifications. The composition was 89.24% silver and 10.76% copper as specified by the Act. This differs from the later adopted “coin silver” composition of 90% silver and 10% copper. The coins had a diameter which ranged from 39 to 40 mm. Blanks used to strike the coins were hand weighed. Some blanks which were underweight or overweight were manually adjusted by filing excess silver or inserting a silver plug. Finally, instead of a reeded edge, the Flowing Hair Dollar had a lettered edge consisting of the coin’s denomination.

Flowing Hair Dollar Coin Specifications

dollars flowing hair