1786 New Jersey Copper. Maris 23-R, W-4945. Rarity-3. Narrow Shield, Curved Plow Beam. MS-62 BN (PCGS).
163.0 grains. 28.3 mm. An exceptionally beautiful New Jersey copper. Rich frosty luster covers beautiful chocolate brown surfaces, enlivened with hints of mint color that are particularly bold around the reverse design elements. Exceptional eye appeal, even for this grade level, with no significant post-striking flaws, outstanding color, and a great overall look. The soft areas of the centers still show some of the texture of the pre-striking planchet, manifesting as tiny contact marks at the base of the horsehead and below and near the central and right regions of the shield. The centering is good, aligned to 2:00 on the obverse. The die edge and complete denticles are visible at left, no denticles present at upper right. The reverse is aligned to the lower right and lacks denticles in that quadrant. The overall appearance is crisp, original, and fully uncirculated. Usual die state. There are a handful of very nice examples of this variety. The best, far and away, is the Taylor coin, which still exhibits a healthy proportion of its original mint color. The Garrett Unc is also lovely. This may be third best, though it's inexplicably ranked fifth in the SHI Census (where it's graded "EF+"). The third ranked piece on the census is Partrick's, graded NGC AU-55 when it sold last year, and the fourth is the E Pluribus Unum coin, graded AU-58 (PCGS) when we offered it in November 2019. Surely no one will rank this coin behind either of those very nice pieces after having seen all three.
PCGS# 763319.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Lawrence R. Stack Collection, November 2006.