1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 25-b, W-3100. Rarity-3. Draped Bust Left. AU-53 (PCGS).142.6 grains. Lovely pale olive brown surfaces are slightly lighter on the motifs creating a gentle contrast. Hard and smooth with nice gloss and excellent eye appeal. Handling marks are very few, with a couple of small reeding impressions on the chin of the effigy the most notable, though unlikely to be seen without magnification. Some light surface debris is detected in some of the finer recesses. Well struck on a good quality planchet without the flaws that often plague Connecticuts. A little off center on the obverse toward the lower left with the tops of AUC tight to the rim, but without loss. The date digits are about 40% off the flan along their bases. This is a really lovely coin and nicer overall than the Perkins specimen. It is also nicer than the Norweb-Collection SLT coin and far superior to Newman’s. The best we have seen in recent years was the former Ford coin that reappeared in our August 2016 sale. It is now in a PCGS AU-58+ holder and though it didn’t sell in our 2016 sale, it brought just over $10,000 in Ford. While not quite as nice as Ford’s, this piece certainly is among the nicest we have seen.From the Twin Leaf Collection of Connecticut & Massachusetts Coppers. Earlier ex Superior, May 2001:1018.
