1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 52-G.1, W-2745. Rarity-6-. Mailed Bust Right, Roman Head. VF-30 (PCGS).95.4 grains. A Clark Obverse Plate Coin. An iconic rarity in the 1787 Connecticut Copper series, one of the few types with bust facing right, along with the Small Head and Muttonhead, and one of only five obverse dies (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 and 52) that have a Mailed Bust facing right on the obverse; these five Mailed Bust Right dies account for a total of eight die marriages among the 1787s, six of which are R-6, R-7 or R-8! This example of 52-G.1 is superb, with glossy dark brown surfaces that are quite smoothly worn, a hint of microscopic granularity in the fields, and alternating areas of planchet texture visible on obverse and reverse where different areas of the central motifs are softly struck on this thin, lightweight coin that clearly did not have enough metal to fill the relatively deep recesses of the dies. Obverse die shows bold clash marks, with most letters from the reverse legend at least partially legible through the obverse legends. The obverse die is also badly sunken at effigy’s lower chest, the reverse die is badly cracked from rim through E of ET to inner elbow, and again between 8 and 7, perhaps part of the same crack that possibly gets lost in Liberty’s drapery. This is among the finest known survivors of this important die marriage—the Taylor“Fine-12/VF-20” is only slightly finer on the overall, while a very well struck, early die state VF-30 coin in a New England collection is perhaps the best one known. Ford’s was a rough coin called only “Good” and Twin Leaf’s was called “Good Details” by PCGS, while most of the storied colonial collections were absent this die pairing, like those of Norweb, Hessberg, Oechsner, Roper, and Picker. Most known pieces are low grade, rough, or otherwise impaired, and of fewer than 30 known of this die marriage, fully four of the survivors are impounded in the ANS Collection (2 ex CNL/Barnsley Collection), which also includes a “fifth” example that was used as the host coin for a 1787 Maris 56-n Camel Head NJ Copper! We envision this coin going to a very carefully curated Colonial type set, or a really fine collection of Connecticut Coppers by die marriage.From the Robert M. Martin Collection. Ex 1975 EAC Convention Sale, Pine Tree Auction Company, February 15, 1975, lot 78.
