1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 1.1-A, W-2700. Rarity-3. Mailed Bust Right, Small Head, ETLIB / INDE. VF-30 (PCGS).111.6 grains. A most appealing example of this distinctive Small Head type, one of just two varieties to feature it. Glossy dark chocolate brown and virtually problem-free save for the thin area at the center of the planchet that did not allow for any definition of the design in this area. The usual softness at the central reverse is compounded by the flawed planchet, but otherwise the details are quite good as the strike was nicely balanced. The obverse is well centered, with dentils nearly all around save for just right of the truncation. On the reverse, the strike is shifted toward 3:00, but no design features are compromised. Opposite this area, the dentils are complete, fully defined triangles, with a thin arc of unstruck planchet encircling them. Three tiny squares have been punched into the coin, nestled just above the exergual line. These are undoubtedly an old collector’s mark and add a degree of charm. This is not an unprecedented occurrence, as even one of the famous 1804 silver dollars bears such a mark, a small “D” punched into one of the clouds. The writer has seen the same “D” mark on a 1797 $10 eagle and other coins. This simply illustrates that this was something that was done long ago, a practice from a time when condition was understood differently than today. It is no less a part of this coin’s history than another coin’s provenance chain listing a long string of famous collectors.From the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut & Massachusetts Coppers. Earlier ex Sixth Annual C4 Convention sale, November 2000:133.
