The flowing hair half dollar is one of my absolute favorite coins that I hope to someday own. From time to time I’ll get on eBay and search through the ones available at that time. This morning I came across this listing and read the description. The seller states they will not accept a return and that they acquired the coin in trade from a trusted collector. As someone who isn’t very familiar with the intricacies of the type, I can’t say confidently whether it appears genuine or not, although I am leaning towards genuine. The “no returns” statement would have me nervous if I were a serious buyer. The seller does have 100% positive feedback with a 300+ score, whatever that may be worth. If it is genuine it is one good looking FHHD. What are your thoughts?
Looks like a typical Chinese fake. Dark toning around the rim and bright silver in the center is usually a dead give away. Pair that with weak central details and the fact the lettering is all wrong... Fake.
Honestly.... Like everyone else,I wouldn't trust a piece like this not slabbed. But I'll be darned if the graffiti on the eagles chest doesn't lend an aura of authenticity to me. This is my flowing hair dollar for comparison.
For what it's worth, even with a "No Returns" policy, you can still get your money back on a "Not as Described" claim with the ebay money back guarantee. A fake coin listed as a real coin would be not as described.
Figured I'd google "flowing hair half dollar chinese fake" - this one looks pretty similar. The colors/graffiti are different but the fake "wear" is exact. And a relative steal at $1.67. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804407323556.html?pdp_npi=2@dis!USD!$3.80!$1.67!!!!!@2101ec1a16878834226786877e814c!12000029761842316!btf&_t=pvid:e37455b7-7e75-451d-851a-9ea422e6c74c&afTraceInfo=1005004593638308__pc__pcBridgePPC__xxxxxx__1687883422&spm=a2g0o.ppclist.product.mainProduct&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
It looks dubious to me. I would exercise the return option. I can’t say for sure that is fake, as I don’t collect those, but a coin like that needs the assurance of being slabbed.
It's a fake. The only 1794 obverse with star 13 pointing above the bust has star 2 intersecting Liberty's hair.
This is a Private Andrew Malone Corvette in the garage story. $291.95? Really? 1795? Yep, that is legit.....send me 8 more.
And the longer the story of how he came to have the coin, and the more times he says "I can't claim it's legitimate", the more likely it is to be fake. He's in for a bad surprise, though, if he thinks "I won't accept returns because of the risk of swapping coins" will protect him from an eBay Not As Described/counterfeit report.
I agree it is fake, although not an expert. The whole story line and the information supplied by experts in this thread are enough, plus it just looks off. However, while I don't have much experience with challenging ebay scammers, I can foresee he will claim, "I never said it was genuine" if there is a "not as described" report. It is, as far as can be proved, exactly as described--a half-dollar looking "coin" of dubious authenticity. The only possible out would be if the metal turned out to be nickel, since he implies that he checked it and it is silver (although he only says the metal was "good," which might mean only that it was not chocolate in the center, or perhaps that it was good chocolate).
Not an expert in these either, (sounds like @okbustchaser is), but the 9 and 4 in the date immediately looked fishy. Couple that with his overinformation on how he got it, (3 luxury handbags worth $6500), and immediately I would have doubted it.
That will get him precisely nowhere with eBay. The title says "1794 Flowing Hair Half Dollar", and eBay's terms of service explicitly prohibit selling non-genuine coins, even if they're stamped COPY. He has no leg to stand on. (Yes, I know there are tons of fake coins on eBay at any given moment. IF you buy one, AND you recognize that it's fake, AND you report it to eBay in a timely manner, the seller loses.)
He definitely claims it to be silver. He also lists a PCGS cert number (a copy/paste error presumably). 1794 FLOWING HAIR HALF DOLLAR Please See Description | eBay But it's clearly not silver - click my ali baba link above. If it was silver, you couldn't get the same counterfeit on ali baba for $1.67. I've reported it. I suggest others report it. It'll be taken down.
I would vote fake. It does not look right. $263 is a ridiculously low price for a 1794 half dollar. It almost doesn't matter what the grade is if the coin is recognizable at that price. It's the first year of issue, and the second silver coin the first U.S. mint issued after the 1794 dollars. I don't have have a 1794 half dollar, but here is a 1795 that is in my collection. This one is graded EF-45.
It’s not right. I immediately said it looks off. I’ve only had one flowing hair half. I’ve had more dollars actually
The longer the sob story the less likely the coin is to be genuine. By the time he wrote that, the coin could have been sent off to NGC or PCGS, graded, and returned.