Undated Bar Copper. Unlisted Struck Copy. Copper. Extremely Fine, Rough.

114.8 grains. Approximately 25.5 mm x 27 mm. Struck on a slightly irregular ovoid planchet, both sides are sharply defined overall with a touch of softness at the left reverse border. Blended deep copper and sandy-brown patina, the surfaces a bit rough, yet free of mentionable marks. A neat copy struck from the same dies as an example in our August 2013 sale of the Ted L. Craige, lot 1325. The original Bar copper remains an enigma. No one knows who struck it, exactly when, or anything else about it other than examples were first noticed in circulation in New York City in the summer of 1785. Today in 2022 with rapidly increasing free access to Internet archives, including historical papers, no doubt much more information will come to light concerning colonial and early American coins, tokens and medals.

From our Baltimore Auction of November 2019, lot 4170. Also ex Eric P. Newman, per the notation on the accompanying Coin Rarities, LLC paper envelope.