1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 31.1-gg.1, W-3205. Rarity-3. Draped Bust Left, ETLIR. AU-50 (PCGS).128.2 grains. A Clark Reverse Plate Coin. Light brown and glossy, with strong mint luster in the fields and no disfiguring marks to speak of; there is a small planchet flake at mouth on obverse, another at central reverse, and two nubby ones seen only from edge. The strike is well centered and bold, much bolder than many specimens of this die variety that have been described as VF to AU over the years but that are probably all variations of the same technical grade. Taylor’s was a slightly softly struck “VF-20, ” Perkins’ was a sharp but flawed “Technical AU, ” while Ford’s was a rough EF. A search of our online archives produces several high circulated grade pieces, but we like this one the best, as did Herb Oechsner and Robert, who considered this one “High Condition Census”!From the Robert M. Martin Collection. Ex Stack’s Sale of the Herbert Oechsner Collection, September 9, 1988, lot 1097.
