1788 Vermont Copper. RR-35, Bressett 20-X, W-2130. Rarity-6+. Bust Right. VG-8 (PCGS).

A significant Vermont Copper rarity, part of the formidable "30s" in the Ryder-Richardson series, a stretch of varieties containing several Rarity-7s and one Rarity-8. RR-35 is just outside the upper echelon of rarities in that group as a Rarity-6+, but nevertheless a seriously tough coin to find with only 15 or so examples extant. It is the sixth rarest variety in the entire Vermont series, not including the contemporary counterfeit RR-5. In addition, several specimens among the already small population are impounded in institutional collections leaving fewer still for collectors to chase. Many great collections of Vermonts didn't have an example of this variety at all including those of Ezra Cole, the Norweb Family, Marvin Matlock, John Roper, Dr. Gordon Smith, Frederick Taylor, the Garrett Family, Herbert Oechsner, Gilbert Steinberg, Roy Bonjour, John J. Ford, Jr., and Ted Craige. A variety as condition sensitive as it is rare, most examples of RR-35 are well worn and show some sort of environmental or other post-strike damage. The presently offered coin is one of the better pieces out there, with decent medium steel-brown color, pleasing sharpness of detail, and no serious corrosion or roughness. There are some light, old, mostly toned-over scratches on each side as well as a heavier one on the obverse portrait, but the overall appearance is really quite satisfying, especially when compared to other members of the RR-35 survivorship. Struck over a contemporary counterfeit George III Irish halfpenny, as are all known examples of the variety, with bold undertype seen on the right side of the reverse -- almost an entire GEORGIVS where INDE would have been and some of the outline of George's head as well. Graded VG-8 by PCGS, conservative as the technical sharpness is approaching VF for the variety, yet significant as this is the only example of the variety to have received any straight grade at PCGS to date. We note four other examples having been sold at auction in the last decade, most recently a rough and scratched Good we sold for $7,500 in our March 2020 Auction. Before that was the sharper but corroded NGC VF details Partrick coin and the somewhat comparable yet slightly darker and weaker NGC VG-10 Newman coin. These were sold by Heritage for $12,925 and $18,800 respectively. And in our November 2013 Baltimore Auction we sold a newly discovered raw example described as VF-25 Light Porosity and the new finest known. That coin had similar overall sharpness and color to the present example, without the scratches but with a bit of roughness, and realized $30,550. In light of all of this, the specimen offered here stands out as a noteworthy, almost certainly Condition Census example that represents an excellent opportunity for the many advanced Vermont collectors who lack this variety.

PCGS# 889558.