Undated (1688) American Plantations Token. Restrike. Newman 4-D, W-1150. Rarity-8. 11 Harpstrings. MS-63 (PCGS).
The only reverse die to display 11 harpstrings, Newman's D reverse is found combined to obverse 4 and obverse 5. At the time that the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins was published in 2009, this die marriage was listed as "existence not confirmed." We offered confirmation this variety existed in our (Stack's) January 2011 Americana sale, when we offered the MS-62 (PCGS) example that had earlier been in our June 1973 Briesland sale. It surprised most in the audience when it realized $25,300; it has been closely held ever since. At that time, we noted this reverse is "best attributed by the placement of the horse's front hooves relative to the X of REX and by the 11-string harp; since the strings are very hard to see and count in this metal, one may better think of this reverse die as the headless harp, as the usually seen female head has here devolved into a curved scroll!" It was the only documented specimen until Eric Newman's own specimen - this coin - appeared in the Heritage sale of May 2014. This example shows strong luster, offering silvery gray contrast around the devices against the otherwise deep gray fields. The strike is sharp, and all details are fully defined. The surfaces are a bit pebbly, but this piece is very attractive overall. Newman believed this piece was a restrike, and that this die marriage only existed in restrike form. Whether coined in 1688 or 1828, this variety should be celebrated as the rarest of all the American Plantation tokens, a variety that makes the possibility of forming a complete collection of these by Newman number an incredibly exclusive accomplishment.
PCGS# 913395.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from the Eric P. Newman Collection; Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society; Heritage's sale of the Newman Collection, May 2014, lot 30317 (at $32,900).

Estimate: $24000