1792 Washington Getz Pattern. Small Eagle. Baker-25D, Musante GW-22, W-10785. Copper. Circles and Squares edge. EF Detail, Plugged (PCGS).185.0 grains. A very special rarity, coined with an edge device imitative of the ornamented edge found on contemporary Spanish colonial coins. While he inexplicably missed this one in its 1982 auction appearance, George Fuld counted just 11 specimens of the Getz pattern in copper with this ornamented edge. Of those, five are in museums, though the Parmelee-Appleton-MHS coin was not located for a photograph. Even and attractive deep gray brown toning covers smooth, glossy surfaces. The portrait of Washington stands out in bold relief and the eagle is also well defined but for the wear on the shield. A fairly deft repair has been applied above Washington’s head, one that leaves that precise area wavy but fortunately left the rest of this coin’s metal natural in appearance. The centering is excellent, with a firm border of denticles neatly framing the entire obverse. The reverse denticles are visible from 12:00 to 7:00. A little rim nick is noted over AS of WASHINGTON. The die state here is middle to late, typical of both silver and copper strikings with this edge, showing the extended spalling line to the rim from the right side of the eagle’s tail.<p>Getz produced this edge to underscore his intent to produce a bimetallic pattern: dies that could be used for copper or silver — or even gold. Perkins clearly intended the same sort of usage with his 1792 WASHINGTON PRESIDENT DIES, though he never employed this Spanish colonial style edge. <p>While any Getz pattern is a historic rarity, this variety is both more historic and more rare than its plain edge brethren, a link to the most commonplace circulating medium of the day that is four or five times more elusive than the most common edge variety.From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stack’s sale of the Robison Collection, February 1982, lot 248.
