1792 Washington Getz Pattern. Small Eagle. Musante GW-22, Baker-25D, W-10785. Copper. Ornamented Edge (Circles and Squares). EF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 160.4 grains. Deep golden-brown with areas of darker toning and shallow scale. Granular throughout but clearly well detailed, likely a ground recovery. The reverse is simply granular, though very appealing, while the obverse shows more significant scattered roughness and an area of raised ruddy scale at DEN of PRESIDENT. Struck on a broad 35.2 mm planchet, with full denticles framing the obverse and healthy denticles around the right side of the reverse. No heavy marks, though scattered minor rim bruises are noted, including a small one below the left wingtip and a larger one outside the letter C in AMERICA.<p>Far rarer than plain edge Getz patterns, the so-called Circles and Squares type show an edge that imitates that found on Spanish colonial coins of the era, underlining the dominance of Spanish colonial silver coins in American pockets during this period. For some reason, the specimens with this circles and squares edge are always far lighter and on far thinner stock than the plain edge specimens. Among the 53 copper examples from these dies recorded in George Fulds 2009 survey, just 11 were of this edge variety, of which five are in institutions (British Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Massachusetts Historical Society, Connecticut Historical Society, and Colonial Williamsburg). At least two specimens were overlooked by Fuld, but there are still fewer than ten of these available to collectors. Interestingly, when Fuld published the updated Baker in 1965 (still our favorite edition of this standard reference), he estimated that at least 70 plain edge specimens survived (the real number looks to be significantly lower) and of this edge type estimated the population at "at least six known, prob. more." His guess on this very rare variety seems prescient today.<p>These coinage proposals by Peter Getz are among the most favored early Washington pieces as they tie the broadly collected Washington portrait theme to the birth of the coinage of the United States. While it is widely known that Washington did not wish for his portrait to be on any circulating coin and these proposals were not adopted, they remain an important part of the story that led to the development of the first U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and are enthusiastically sought after. The ornamented edge pieces underscore Getzs intent to produce a bimetallic pattern: dies that could be used for copper or silver - or even gold. Perkins clearly intended the same sort of usage with his 1792 WASHINGTON PRESIDENT DIES, though he never employed this Spanish colonial style edge.<p>While any Getz pattern is a historic rarity, this variety is both more historic and more rare than its plain edge brethren, a link to the most commonplace circulating medium of the day that is four or five times more elusive than the most common edge variety. PCGS# 959. NGC ID: 2B7C. Ex Lester Merkin, February 20, 1967; our sale of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation Collection, March 2015 Baltimore Auction, lot 2549.
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