1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 33.26-W.3, W-3740. Rarity-6+. Draped Bust Left. AU-50 (PCGS).139.4 grains. A truly impressive example of this legitimately rare variety. Ryder notes on his square ticket that accompanies the coin: "I think this is rare." Indeed, it still is. This Miller number has been cataloged as Rarity-7 or Rarity-7- since the 1970s, so it is amazing that even with the heightened interest in Connecticut coppers and die varieties in recent decades, this is still a Rarity-6+ die marriage. This lovely and well pedigreed coin is among the very finest known, perhaps rivaled only by the Turoff/Breen Plate example, not seen since our October 1976 sale of the Turoff Collection. Attractive medium olive-brown and tan surfaces are well composed and essentially problem-free. Some very light planchet texture is seen on the obverse while the reverse is perfectly smooth. Boldly struck and nicely centered, just the very bottoms of the date digits run into the rim. Sharp definition throughout and the network of die cracks at the lower obverse is on full display. Only light wear on the high points and subtle frost shows through at the peripheries, confirming a solid AU grade. The exceptional quality of this coin did not go unnoticed in the Ford sale, where it brought a robust $23,000. Worthy of strong bids once again. A great coin.<p>.PCGS# 686382. NGC ID: 2B2X.<strong>To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click<a href="https://stacksbowers.com/sydney-f-martin-collection/"target=’_blank’> here.</a></strong>.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Henry Chapmans sale of the George H. Earle Collection, June 1912, lot 2048; Hillyer Ryder; F.C.C. Boyd; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part IX, May 2005, lot 401. Obverse plated in the <em>Whitman Encylopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins</em>, p. 121. Also plated in Randy Clark "The Identification and Classification of Connecticut Coppers 1785-1788," pp. 383, 461, 490, 608.<p>
