Flowing Hair Half Dimes

Robert Scot almost certainly engraved the dies for the Flowing Hair half dime, working from the same general concept he had used for the Flowing Hair half dollar and dollar of the same period. Scot had been Chief Engraver since November 1793, and by the time the half dime entered production in 1794 he was the only person at the Mint cutting dies for new denominations. The obverse depicted Liberty facing right with unbound hair flowing behind her, surrounded by stars and the date. The reverse carried a small eagle perched within a wreath, the same general motif used across the silver denominations in this period. The design was competent but not polished, which was true of nearly everything the early Mint produced. Scot was working with limited tools, imperfect steel, and constant pressure to get new denominations into production. The results looked like it.