1788 Vermont Copper. RR-32, Bressett 12-K, W-2115. Rarity-7+. Bust Right—Overstruck on Nova Constellatio Copper. Fine Details-Environmental Damage (PCGS).
121.3 grains. A remarkable and enduring rarity among Vermont coppers and the first number added to the series after Ryder's 1919 attribution guide. Ryder himself knew of the variety in his lifetime, having acquired the 1921 Whipple Sale coin (the most recent coin to hit the market as part of the Partrick Collection in 2015, selling for $54,050 in an NGC VF-35 encapsulation). Though five are known, this is functionally Rarity-8- rather than Rarity-7+, as two examples are impounded in institutional collections: the Vermont Historical Society (the 1987 Taylor coin) and the Bennington Museum. This leaves just three for those wishing to complete a set of Vermont coppers by die variety. This example was a lucky 2007 purchase by Syd of a specimen that was then new to the census (as only four were known at the time of the 1998 Carlotto reference), and none had sold publicly since the Taylor piece crossed the auction block in 1987. Dark brown and uniformly granular, with a halo of scale in the left reverse field, this specimen has sharper details than the "Fine Details" PCGS grade suggests and was probably lost to the ground when it was new or nearly so. The four examples we have seen in hand or in photos all seem to have evidence of Nova Constellatio undertype (in spite of the Partrick coin being cataloged as on a virgin flan), so all cherrypickers should pay close attention to all overstruck 1788 Bust Right Vermonts. Missing from just about every great collection of Vermonts imaginable - like Norweb, Ford (who sold his to David Bowers in 1985), Hinkley, and others - the life of its punctuationless obverse was perhaps cut short by the meandering die crack seen on all known specimens that may be the reason for RR-32's extremely rarity today. If you're looking to complete your Vermont coppers collection in the near term, you must bid on this, as who knows when the other two privately held specimens will enter the marketplace again.
PCGS# 916576.
To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex unknown party represented by an envelope with "Quebec, Can 7/21/06" purchase indication; Mike Wierzba, October 2007.

Estimate: $40000