1724 Rosa Americana pattern twopence. Martin 5.1-H.1, W-1358. Rarity-7. SP-61 (PCGS).189.6 grains. Coin turn. A great rarity in this series, beautifully preserved and lovely to behold. Even and appealing deep chocolate brown surfaces are smooth and glossy on the obverse, faintly and naturally microgranular on the reverse. Some planchet preparation file marks may still be seen on the obverse peripheral beading, as struck, and some other remnants of this phenomenon blend into the highest reliefs of the obverse design. Some raised encrustation is present in the protected areas, harmless to the eye appeal. This coins nice, even brown color led to it being miscataloged as copper in the past; it is assuredly not, with some peeks of the typical golden bath metal tones visible on the rim and elsewhere. Its weight is consistent with the Roper (202.8 grains) and Ford (199.6 grains) specimens.<p><p><p> <p>While called a pattern, the real nature of this piece is unclear. It was clearly struck in tiny numbers, but does not bear the Proof surface and other special hallmarks of the 1733 pattern issue. Most of this variety are circulated, as is the rarer 1724 Rosa Americana twopence variety with MB FRA in the legend, whose population is five or six coins.<p><p><p> <p>Eight of the known examples from these dies have an auction provenance; one additional, sold privately from the F.C.C. Boyd Estate collection in 1984, does not. Of those eight, three are nice: this one, Ford IX:186, and Roper:93. Another is, put simply, distinctive: Ford IX:187 is silvered and was engraved in the 18th century, and is thus really not comparable here. Among the others, both the Lauder and Newman coins were rough and flawed, the Craige coin (our sale of March 2013) is granular and now certified as SP-53 by PCGS, and the Heritage March 2012 example, newly discovered in Europe, was worn and cleaned. It would be difficult to gauge which of the three choice examples was finest, but suffice it to say this one is in the top tier. The appearance of this coin on the market represents the first opportunity to acquire a pleasing specimen in over a decade, and the first shot at this one in three and half decades.<p>PCGS Population: 1; none finerFrom the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stacks sale of the Robison Collection, February 1982, lot 34.
