1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 73.5-jj, W-5435. Rarity-8+. Sprig Above Plow. Struck over a Connecticut Copper. VG-10 (PCGS).121.8 grains. We are honored to have the opportunity to offer this variety at auction for the very first time since its discovery nearly 50 years ago. It stands out among the New Jersey rarities for its eye appeal and grade, for its use of two dies seen nowhere else, and for its similarity to the popular Maris Obverse 73. This is the centerpiece of the Richard August Collection of New Jersey Coppers and will be the centerpiece of whatever advanced cabinet becomes its new home.<p>There are only 14 unique varieties in the New Jersey series: Maris 4 1/2 - pp, Maris 5-C, Maris 7-C, Maris 10-oo, Maris 10 1/2 - C, Maris 11-G, Maris 11-hh, Maris 26-d, Maris 38-L, Maris 59-mm, Maris 62 1/2-r, Maris 73 1/2 - jj, Maris 80-ff, and Maris 81-ll. Aside from the two circulating counterfeits at the end of that list and the New Jersey Non Vi Virtute Vici (Maris 4 1/2 - pp), each of these uses at least one previously known die, and several are unique mulings of two dies used elsewhere. This coin stands alone as the only non-counterfeit horsehead to employ two dies that saw use in no other New Jersey die marriage. For collectors who seek to add not only as many varieties, but to represent as many dies as possible, this is meaningful and adds particular value to this piece. <p>This piece was featured on the cover of the <em>C4 Newsletter</em>s issue of Spring 2001 and described in an article therein by Mr. August and Dennis Wierzba, where Dick described how this coin was found: At the time of the Garrett sale, Richard August was able to visit a number of local NYC coin shops prior to the auction. As luck (and persistence) would have it, he was able to uncover and purchase an unlisted NJ variety. Richard Picker verified the new discovery and immediately tried to purchase it. No sale, as the coin still resides in the August Collection. This was Dicks modus operandi for decades: patiently mining coin shops and small shows, putting in the work tirelessly, and finding that the more he dug, the better luck he had.<p>Undoubtedly Dick knew immediately that he had found something new and special, though at first glance it could be confused for a Maris 73-aa. Like that variety, from whom it earned the Maris 73 1/2 designation, this piece is overstruck. Interestingly, the Connecticut copper that served as its host was double struck: the primary date of the Connecticut undertype is readily seen at 9 oclock on the New Jersey obverse, but directly above the 8 of that date is another 7 from a second Connecticut strike. Another floating 8 is seen above the New Jersey date, just above the base of the plow; this looks like the same style 8 as the New Jersey dies, which means both the host and the overstrike are double struck. The position of the quatrefoil against the top of the Connecticut portrait, seen near the base of the New Jersey reverse, permits ready identification of the undertype as Miler 18-g.1.<p>The use of a double-struck Connecticut as a host limited the amount of detail this coin would have showed even when new. A star and CAESAREA are complete across the top of the obverse. Only a few obverse dies show a star between NOVA and CAESAREA, including 66, 67, 69, 72, 74, and 76, and the resemblance here to the style of Obverse 72 and the horsehead styles of 74 and 76 are unavoidable. The squared snout looks like Obverses 72 and 73, while the curved ear in profile looks a lot like 75. The horsehead device and the scroll below are visible and essentially complete. The plowshare and plowbar are mostly present, the coulter is complete, and a hint of the singletree is visible. A five-pointed star like the one between NOVA and CAESAREA appears at the end of the legend. Denticles are seen at top and right. The areas that show no design -- behind the head, at the plowhandles, and elsewhere -- are likely from the contorted shape and wear pattern of the double struck host. They are not the result of damage. On the reverse, URIBUS U is bold, with a five-pointed star separating the words. The tops of E PL, with a similar star in between, are also seen. The point of the shield is plain, as are the tiny sprigs below. An arc of denticles appears the base of the reverse. The central reverse is featureless, showing the outline of the back of the head from the Connecticut portrait but little else, a conspiracy of strike, the topography of the host, and perhaps a failed die as well. <p>Both obverse and reverse are glossy and attractive, with mingled light brown and darker brown tones. Scattered contact marks are seen, none individually significant. A little fissure or roughness is noted at the plowbar. While not perfectly smooth, this pieces surfaces are quite like any other New Jersey copper in this grade. While eye appeal is certainly not required on a unique New Jersey, having it sure doesnt hurt.<p>New Jersey collectors are a tight fraternity, drawn to the social aspects of their specialty as much as anything else. Information is shared, coins are traded, stories are told. But an undercurrent of competition draws a particular kind of collector, maybe even a particular kind of personality, to this avocation. Most advanced collectors seek to reach the 90 variety threshold, then 100. To get much beyond that figure, a collector will need to acquire coins representing die marriages of extreme rarity. Once varieties in the high Rarity-7 or Rarity-8 range come into focus, their acquisition becomes a zero sum game: to ensure those varieties are included in your collection means someone else will not be able to. Mr. August was extremely proud to not only discover a new New Jersey variety -- one with two previously undescribed dies! -- but also to have a unique coin like this in his collection, a coin no one else had. At this moment, a second name will join his on the provenance of this piece after nearly five decades in the August Collection, five decades that have seen thousands of New Jerseys discovered, attributed, and identified as something other than a second 73 1/2 - jj. The high bidder on this piece will not only add another variety, and not only have a tick on their checklist that no one else will have, but they become the inheritor of a part of Dicks legacy.PCGS# 970634. BASE PCGS# 521277. NGC ID: AUL7.From the Richard August Collection.
