1786 New Jersey copper. Maris 17-b. Rarity-3. Large planchet. PLUKIBUS. Overstruck on a 1788 Vermont copper, RR-25. EF-45 (PCGS).129.9 grains. A very unusual piece, the only one your cataloger can recall seeing struck over a 1788 Vermont copper (though Mossman notes a specimen struck over a Ryder-20 seen in a private collection). Dark steel brown with subtle mottling on the chocolate brown-mahogany spectrum over glossy but occasionally granular surfaces. Some iridescence is seen at the rims and behind the horsehead. The granularity is patchy, subtle, and inoffensive. The devices are extremely sharp on both sides. The centering is good, despite the smaller than normal undertype, and an arc of denticles frames the base of the obverse. The PLUKIBUS characteristic is clear, definitive for Die State 2. In the right light, AUCTORI to the left of the obverse and VERMON to the right both jump out, with an alignment that seems purposeful.<p>This is one of the sharpest examples of Maris 17-b we’ve encountered, with the added interest of a very desirable undertype.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers.
