1788 Massachusetts cent. Ryder 3-A, W-6210. Rarity-4-. With Period. MS-65 BN (PCGS).161.0 grains. A stunning Gem and one of the finest survivors of this issue. Extremely well struck and boldly lustrous, with hard frosty surfaces on both sides. Mint color surrounds most design elements, contrasting with steel brown surfaces rich with mint bloom. The devices are definitively well detailed, with every line of the Indian’s tunic and every feather of the eagle exactingly realized. The surfaces are free of any problem or disturbance, just the merest hint of the planchet cutter line in an arc over SETTS to right of the date. A little flake of verdigris within the top of the first S of MASSACHUSETTS is sitting atop the surface and is no detriment. The spectacular Boyd-Ford collection of Massachusetts coppers included no Ryder 3-As that rival this one, and there is an excellent chance this is the finest known specimen from this die pair.PCGS Population (With Period): 1, 1 finer (MS-66).From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stack’s sale of the David Spence Collection, March 1975, lot 731.
