1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 8-O, W-2840. Rarity-3. Mailed Bust Left, Tall Head. AU-50 (PCGS).146.7 grains. Dies oriented at about 65 degrees. Succinctly described by Robert in his notes as “well centered, soft strike at centers, glossy smooth tan surfaces, among the finest known.” This string of descriptors is incredibly accurate, to which we can only add that there is very little real wear to the surfaces but just a bit of friction. Randy Clark in his Connecticut tome relates how the 1787 Draped Bust Left obverse 16.5 was reworked to create the 1787 Mailed Bust Left obverse 8 seen here, a crude transition that has created a jumble of details in the mail and epaulet of obverse effigy. Both the Ford-Twin Leaf PCGS EF-45+ and the NGC AU-50 Newman coins present fuller strikes but less ideal surfaces than this coin, which Robert acquired less than 2 years after winning the super Oechsner specimen in the following lot.From the Robert M. Martin Collection. Purchased from Mike Ringo, August 18, 1990.
