1737 (ca. 1864) Higley Copper. Copy by John Adams Bolen. Musante JAB-10, Kenney-4, W-14285. THE VALVE OF THREE PENCE / CONNECTICVT, 3 Hammers. Silver. MS-64 (NGC).28.4 mm. 96.3 grains. Handsome deep gray silver with a faint blush of pale blue on both sides. The reverse is slightly lighter gray. A coarsely satin texture from the natural roughness and finishing of the dies gives the visual impression of a cruder product than this actually was, as Bolen was very skilled at his trade. He undoubtedly included this feature as a nod to the usually rough states of the originals he copied here - not for nefarious purposes, but for an air of "authenticity" in his copies. On a thin, compact flan and just a trifle off center as is usual, but little is compromised beyond a point of the star left of the date.<p>Just two examples are reported to have been struck by Bolen in silver, this taken from the Johnson listing published in 1882, and from the medal in the ANS marked on the edge, SILVER 2 STRUCK ONLY / B. It is believed that Dr. Edwards also produced some after the dies were sold to him. According to Musante, Bolen later reacquired the dies and claimed to have defaced them himself, and struck off a few from the defaced dies. Such impressions do exist, but they seem quite rare. This is from the dies in their uncanceled state. The ANS example is not imaged.<p>A silver piece in our November 2021 sale was struck over a Liberty Seated quarter. This piece has traces of edge reeding and evidence that the planchet was filed aggressively before striking, so it is probably also an overstrike.From the Claremont Collection. Earlier ex Q. David Bowers Collection; Steve Hayden, December 2017.
