1786 Connecticut Copper. Miller 5.4-O.1, W-2590. Rarity-2. Mailed Bust Left. AU-55 (PCGS).129.3 grains. Called “Choice About Uncirculated” in the Ford collection auction, a grade that we can see attributed to this coin given its glossy olive and steely brown obverse patina, choice dark chestnut brown reverse, light wear and more adequate strike on both sides. Well centered but on a smaller flan than could accommodate the dies, with the bottoms of the date cut off as a result. A few superb Mint State pieces exist, including the primary Ford example called Uncirculated and which brought nearly $20, 000 way back in 2005. This one lives in the next tier of high-grade examples and was snapped up by Robert not only for its superb color and surfaces but also for its provenance that leads back to one of the most important collections of Connecticut coppers ever formed, that of pioneer Henry C. Miller.From the Robert M. Martin Collection. Ex Tom Elder’s Sale of the Henry C. Miller Collection, May 29, 1920, lot 1842; Hillyer Ryder Collection; F.C.C. Boyd Collection; John J. Ford, Jr.; Stack’s Sale of Part 9 of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, May 10, 2005, lot 263; Stack’s New York Americana Sale, January 26, 2010, lot 4155. Ryder’s square collector ticket is no longer extant.
