1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 60-p, W-5340. Rarity-4. Large Planchet, PLURIBS. AU Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS).
156.1 grains. 30.9 mm. Acquired from our sale of September 2009, where it was described as: "Deep chocolate brown with deeper near black highlights. Faint uniform porosity on both sides of this broad Morristown flan, but the central devices are much crisper and bolder than typically seen for the variety. Indeed, virtually every hair on the horse's mane is present, as are nearly all the vertical and horizontal shield lines on the reverse. A pleasing example of a moderately scarce variety, a coin that will draw a good deal of bidding interest." In the decade plus this piece has been in Syd's collection, there haven't been many sharper examples of this variety to hit the market. The finest known is the Bareford-Partrick coin, which brought $32,400 in March 2021 as NGC AU-55; its sharpness doesn't exceed this one, but of course its surfaces are preferable. A number of nice examples have turned up in the last several years, so when the next edition of the SHI Census comes out, there will undoubtedly be a few additions. The PCGS AU-50 Dr. Gordon Shaw:335 seems primed to take a spot in the top three or four, and the good looking PCGS VF-35 from Heritage's sale of February 2018 may sneak in the bottom as well. The current census includes eight coins: two AUs, an EF+, a VF+, and four VFs. Your cataloger prefers this one to at least one of them, even when its surfaces are considered. Die State 1, perfect dies. A very desirable example of a memorable Guide Book variety.
PCGS# 767838.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from McCawley and Grellman's 2002 C4 Convention Sale, November 2002, lot 444; our (Stack's) sale of March 2009, lot 3112; our (Stack's) Philadelphia Americana sale of September 2009, lot 4154.