1788 New Jersey copper. Maris 75-bb, W-5520. Rarity-4. Running Fox. AU-50 (PCGS).150.3 grains. A really beautiful specimen, with dark brown and thick olive toning on hard, glossy surfaces. Aside from a truly tiny rim nick at the right side of the obverse exergue, this coin is immaculate, perfectly choice in color, surface, and eye appeal. The devices are well struck and show excellent contrast with the fields. This is the usual die state, with a retained cud at VA C in the upper left obverse and an arc crack from the plow handles into the left exergue. There are three AU coins atop the Siboni-Howes-Ish census: the Craige coin, earlier from New Netherlands Sale #60 and Stickney, and a pair of unverified coins said to be in the Anton and Yale University collections. The Craige coin is probably a bit better than this one, though it too graded AU-50 (PCGS). Without direct examination, it’s hard to say exactly where this coin fits among known examples, but it clearly belongs on the Condition Census and appears to rank fairly high within it.PCGS Population (Running Fox): 4; 3 finer (AU-58 finest).From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stack’s sale of the Laird Park Collection, May 1976, lot 107; Stack’s sale of December 1971, lot 51.
