1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 9-R, W-2860. Rarity-4+. Mailed Bust Left, IND,1787 over 1788. VF-25 (PCGS).155.9 grains. Glossy chocolate brown with a few patches that are more brassy in tone, these being indicative of a poor alloy in the planchet. They are also associated with some minor planchet flaws and thin, retained laminations, further clarifying their nature. Microgranular but the surfaces largely appear smooth to the unaided eye. Small natural voids at the truncation and at Liberty’s head. Centered toward the lower left on the obverse and toward the upper left on the reverse, a condition seen on some others of this variety. No elements are lost to the centering, and the date, with its prominent overdate engraver’s error, is quite sharp. The weakness at ET is due to die failure. From the Oechsner and Perkins collections. Not quite as sharp as the Ford specimen, but quite a bit better than the Collection SLT coin. Perhaps the best modern comparison is the Jack Royse coin, last sold by us in October 2014. That piece was marginally sharper, but this one has much smoother surfaces.From the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut & Massachusetts Coppers. Earlier ex Richard Picker, in 1956 for $35; Herbert M. Oechsner, Stack’s, September 1988:1073; George C. Perkins, Stack’s, January 2000:271.
