1786 New Jersey copper. Maris 17-K. Rarity-3. Straight Plow Beam. Overstruck on a 1772 English halfpenny. VF Detail, Environmental Damage (PCGS).144.7 grains. Dark brown with some darker scale across surfaces that maintain good gloss despite their moderate roughness. Very sharp and fairly attractive. A curved old scrape across the horsehead is the most significant flaw, and others are fairly minor. Though this variety usually comes overstruck, and typically shows a wealth of visible undertype, Connecticut coppers made up the lion’s share of the planchet stock. More unusual undertypes are avidly sought, and this 1772 English halfpenny certainly qualifies. The 1772 date — which appears to be from a Tower Mint-struck authentic coin — is clearly visible beneath and left of the 1786 New Jersey date. This positioning hardly seems accidental, though it could be. Strong hints of BRITANNIA are visible with scrutiny, though the reverse scale obscures the traces of the English halfpenny’s obverse.<p>Overstriking on New Jersey coppers is an interesting phenomenon that underscores two facts. First, it was clearly easier (at least some of the time) to acquire copper coins than sheet copper for virgin planchets. Second, those copper coins could be acquired less expensively than the market value of New Jersey coppers in the marketplace. The predominance of Connecticut coppers suggests that they transacted at a discount to New Jersey coppers, but other undertypes are too scarce to draw any reasonably conclusion.<p>Dr. Phil Mossman’s <em>Money of the American Colonies and Confederation</em> provides the best data and analysis on the phenomenon of overstruck state coppers, including a full discussion in Appendix 2. Table 29 in Mossman lists known New Jersey undertypes by variety, including a reference to an example of this variety struck over a 1772 Machin’s Mills halfpenny (Vlack 6-72A). The reference comes from a July 1975 Colonial Newsletter article by Bill Anton (“Checklist of 133 die combinations of New Jersey coppers”). These could be the same coins, with the undertype misattributed back in 1975, or they may be discrete specimens. The 1772 Machin’s halfpenny is the only non-Connecticut undertype on a Maris 17-K cited by Mossman.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers.
