1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 56-n, W-5310. Rarity-1. Camel Head--Overstruck on a 1773 Contemporary Counterfeit English Halfpenny--AU-53 (PCGS).
116.6 grains. 29.4 mm. From our March 2012 sale of the Jim Jones Collection, where this coin was described as follows: "Overstruck on a 1773 contemporary counterfeit halfpenny of George III. A remarkable and little-worn example of this popular and distinctive variety. The surfaces are frosty light brown, showing an impressive intermingling of design elements: the date 1773 above VA of NOVA, the outstretched hand of Britannia under REA of CAESAREA, the king's ordinal near P of PLURIBUS, ribbon ends and much of GEORGIUS on the other side of the reverse. There is enough detail on the undertype, and the date punches are distinctive enough, that positively identifying the family group of the counterfeit halfpenny isn't hard. A few old short scratches cross the truncation of the horsehead, little nicks right of date, and a trivial bit of shallow surface verdigris are present at the base of the shield." With the publication of a book by Syd's beloved Colonial Coin Collectors Club entitled Contemporary Counterfeit Halfpenny and Farthing Families, we can now attribute the undertype as a 1773 "Boyish George" English counterfeit halfpenny. And with the publication of New Jersey State Coppers by Syd's beloved American Numismatic Society, we can add that this is Die State 2 of the Maris 56-n, with fine die cracks from the left chief point of the shield and another nearer the base past E of E PLURIBUS. The SHI Census ranks two Gem Uncs as first and second, followed by the Norweb AU+ and three additional AU coins. There are undoubtedly others similar to this one that represent a tier of extremely nice coins with Condition Census claims.
PCGS# 767837.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Bowers and Merena (privately), May 1990; Jim Jones Collection; our March 2012 Baltimore Auction, lot 1059.