1787 (ca. 1860s?) Brasher Doubloon electrotype. EB on Wing. Copper shells over lead.156.4 grains. A remarkable electrotype copy, the first we have seen of this type, produced from the United States Mint Cabinet specimen now in the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian Institution. This carefully produced mid-19th century copy faithfully reproduces the distinctive characteristics of the Mint Cabinet specimen, including the old scratch the original coin shows on the right side of the eagles breast shield, the two dull depressions in the field above the sunrise, and the unique centering seen only on that example of this famous rarity. One of just 6 known Brasher Doubloons with the punch on wing (and one of 7 of this type overall), the Mint Cabinet specimen was discovered by Adam Eckfeldt in a bullion deposit in 1838 and plucked out for saving. It has been in the national collection ever since. This electrotype was likely made at the US Mint, a rare relic of the 19th century and perhaps the only such copy known today.From the Archangel Collection.
