1788 Massachusetts Cent. Ryder 14-J, W-6395. Rarity-7. Stout Indian. VF-20 (PCGS).148.9 grains. Amazingly, this is one of two examples of this very rare variety to be revealed in the John J. Ford, Jr. holdings in our October 2004 sale. It is even more remarkable that both coins were once in the collection of Hillyer Ryder, who knew of this rarity when he published a century ago, yet very few examples have come to light in that long span of years. According to Mike Packard, just 10 examples are currently known, and one of these, a cleaned, double-struck example, is impounded in the ANS Collection. This currently offered coin was the second of the Ford specimens, called “Near Fine” at that time. However, these pieces, believed to be contemporary counterfeits from the Machin’s Mills shop, were a bit poorly made to begin with. They tend to be weak at the centers, but also beveled and even weaker at the rims, allowing for unusually rapid softening of the peripheral details with less wear than necessary for other varieties. This example is no different. The surfaces are peppered with tiny natural flaws, but aside from a faint old scratch on the reverse the surfaces are actually quite choice, uniform olive brown and glossy. A couple of small rim bumps are noted near 6:00, relative to the obverse, but are easily forgiven considering the great rarity of this variety. It would seem that the finest known coin is the Donald Partrick specimen, now graded MS-62 by NGC, while another comparable piece is reported to exist in another long-held private collection. The primary Ford coin was called Very Fine. Since the Ford sale, we have only offered one other example of this rarity, the Michael Demling coin that appeared in our March 2018 sale. Meanwhile, the Heritage archives include only the Partrick coin. Needless to say, this rarity is almost never available, so any opportunity is important.From the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut & Massachusetts Coppers. Earlier ex Hillyer Ryder; F.C.C. Boyd; John J. Ford, Jr., Stack’s, October 2004:156.
