1788 New Jersey Copper. Maris 74-bb, W-5515. Rarity-5. Horses Head Right, Running Fox Before Legend, Ghost Coulter. VG-10.；132.0 grains. Light brown with extensive circulation wear that has smoothed out much of the light porosity that is still visible on both sides. The rims are worn more extensively than the centers of this coin, with central devices remaining strong but the legends weakened by wear and surface texture. The Running Fox is essentially invisible, and the coulter is also missing, subsumed not by wear but by the die failure and die polishing that has rendered this design element invisible on almost all known specimens. Though rated only R-5+, the Maris 74-bb is the rarest of the Running Fox varieties save 76-cc; it is missing from many prominent collections, notably our recent sales of the SLT and Ted Craige Collections, as well as the Norweb Collection we offered three decades ago. The Condition Census is made up of coins in the VF range, meaning that a pleasing VG like this one will be a prize for the modest collector needing this variety that seems rarer than connoted by its given rarity rating.；From the Dr. Gordon Shaw Collection. Purchased privately from Richard August, October 3, 1989.
