1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 33.7-Z.9, W-3430. Rarity-9. Draped Bust Left. Good-4 (PCGS).
126.2 grains. Deep steel brown with the reliefs just a little lighter allowing for clearer visibility on this rather well worn coin. This is particularly true on the reverse which is quite a bit sharper overall than the obverse, with all letters, punctuation, ornaments and date digits quite clear. The obverse was clearly weakly defined to begin with, perhaps even with bulging though the lower bust, but it is a challenge to tell for sure. Little more than the outline of the effigy is visible, along with traces of the letters having various degrees of sharpness from discernible to ghostly. The surfaces are granular, there are a few old but somewhat light scratches on the obverse and as single heavier one on the upper reverse. This variety was first listed by Walter Breen in 1951, apparently having been discovered by him just before. The discovery piece was referenced in the Colonial Newsletters of March 1964, June 1964 and May 1991. It was said to have been in Frederick B. Taylor's collection, but it was not present in our 1987 sale of his coins and the tracing of the coin was lost. Today, the Syd Martin specimen seems to be the only one known, and per Syd's notes, this might be the discovery coin identified by Breen so many decades ago, but there is no way to state this with certainty. The obverse of this coin is plated in Clark. Naturally, the 33.7-Z.9 is one of the rarest of all Connecticut coppers. Of the 354 die varieties known, just 12 are thought to be unique, and another 20 are considered Rarity-8, with only two or three known. As such, completion of the set is virtually impossible due to the difficulty of finding so many of these exceedingly rare coins-getting them all would be a bit like lightning striking a few times. The availability of a unique one is one of those proverbial strikes, and as such, it is a critical opportunity to get a very challenging coin toward the 354. The grade offered here is not high, but we can only say "good luck" to anyone awaiting a better one. There literally may be none of any stripe to wait for.
PCGS# 918367.
To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Christopher B. Young, March 2007.

Estimate: $20000