1787 Immunis Columbia Copper / Large Eagle Reverse. W-5680. Rarity-4+. Plain Edge, Narrow Planchet. AG-3 (PCGS).4.54 grams. A respectable example of this scarce and enigmatic type, both sides retain the boldest detail around the peripheries. The centers are well worn with only partial outline definition to the seated figure and eagle. The surfaces are rough and granular overall with dark olive-copper patina, minor edge ding at 1 oclock, few small pits in the center of the reverse. The origin and intent of the Immunis Columbia coppers had long been debated by numismatic scholars. Walter Breen had suggested that they were patterns for a proposed U.S. coinage, although the number of examples known and the evidence for extensive commercial use that most display suggest that they were intended for circulation. If these had been intended as a proposal for contract coinage, as suggested by Breen and others, it would seem that fewer would have been struck and higher grade examples would be the norm. Although not a perfect piece, this is a desirable coin both for its scarcity and for the fact that its level of preservation helps to support the argument that the Immunis Columbia coppers were intended for and saw actual commercial use.
