1788 Connecticut Copper. Miller 12.2-C, W-4525. Rarity-5. Mailed Bust Left--Overstruck on Nova Constellatio Copper--MS-63 BN (PCGS).
An incredible and highly significant Connecticut copper, certainly among the most lustrous specimens extant of the entire series. This memorable piece first appeared in our March 2010 sale and was described as follows: "A simply mind-blowing Connecticut copper! Cartwheel lustre spins with the intensity of that found on a choice Mint State large cent of the 1840s, frosty and unbroken. The surfaces are light steel brown, barely faded from mint color, with splashes of mahogany. The surface quality is incredibly unusual for a state copper, even the occasional Mint State Connecticut that might cross our desk. While a typical high grade state copper might be glossy, even a bit lustrous, this piece can be summed up well with just the word frosty. Henry Chapman might have called it mint bloom, and this piece is rich with it. The strike is centered and bold, with definitive detail in the hair and cuirass, the drapery in the seated figure, the globe, and the shield. The fine die lines and ridges in the fields are all still apparent. With a strike as bold as this, it is perhaps surprising that there is abundant evidence of the Nova Constellatio undertype still visible: LIBERTAS in the upper left reverse, and much of CONSTELLATIO at the right obverse periphery. This piece has clearly been well handled over the years, as it is devoid of marks or evidence of cleaning. A single minor vertical hairline is noted below the chin on the obverse, single tiny scrape under UC of AUCTORI, some very minor evidence of friction on the highest points of the reverse made visible under scrutiny by a different color brown rather than rub. A hint of microscopic granularity is seen at the absolute peripheries, and a very tiny planchet split is visible over N of INDE." We note a slightly bluish-green tint to the darker toned areas of the obverse, which was not apparent in the March 2010 description or photos, but the coin is in general just as flashy and magnificent as described there. While there are several high grade examples known of this die variety, including a handful of lower end Mint State pieces, the only other example we are aware of that can rival this is the Garrett coin, now graded MS-65 BN at PCGS. That coin has choice, lustrous surfaces and traces of mint red, but the offered piece excels in regard to the sheer vibrancy of its cartwheel luster. Across the entire 1788 date, there are just three coins that have earned an MS-63 BN grade at PCGS, each being a different major variety, and, remarkably, all three are offered in this sale. Just two have been graded higher, both MS-65 BN, including the aforementioned Garrett 12.2-C, and the Tanenbaum 3-B.1. Here is a special coin that would be a highlight in any high end colonial cabinet.
PCGS# 687229.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from our (Stack's) Eliasberg & Krause Collections Auction, March 2010, lot 2477.

Estimate: $25000