1786 New Jersey copper. Maris 17-b. Rarity-3. Large planchet. PLUKIBUS. Overstruck on a 1786 Vermont Baby Head copper, RR-9. VF-35 (PCGS).127.4 grains. One of the most fascinating overstrikes in this collection! Dark steel brown with fine granularity and a touch of microscopic scale atop the reverse. Sharply struck at centers, a bit out of round at the peripheries. An old cut at EA of CAESAREA appears to predate striking, though the rim bruises at R of that word and above PLURIBUS on the reverse certainly postdate it. The undertype is marvelously clear, with (E)T LIB seen above REA of CAESAREA and all of VERMON perfectly legible below the shield on the reverse. This is the specimen cited by Mossman on his Table 29 and mentioned by Anton in the July 1975 issue of the <em>Colonial Newsletter</em> on page 504. We have never encountered or heard of another specimen of Maris 17-b with this distinctive undertype. Die State 2 with the PLUKIBUS break. An exciting piece.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers.
