1788 New Jersey copper. Maris 74-bb. Rarity-5+. Running Fox. VF-35 (PCGS).144.8 grains. Smooth and glossy rich chocolate brown with contrasting lighter brown devices. A simply beautiful coin, well detailed and full of aesthetic appeal. The absolute center of the obverse shows an area of softness, as does the center of the shield. The fox is brilliantly defined, far sharper than usually seen. Importantly for this variety, the singletree and coulter are both visible, a characteristic so unusual that this piece is described and illustrated by Siboni, Howes, and Ish to highlight these usually invisible design elements. The obverse is aligned leftward, with a broad arc of full denticles visible at right. Die State 2, with a diagonal die break from the plow bar to the rim right of the date. No significant post-striking flaws are noted, and the appearance is choice.<p>This is ranked as second finest known from these dies in the SHI Condition Census, tied as VF+ with the piece above it, the primary Boyd-Ford coin, sold in 2003 and now in the Moore Collection, but its visual appeal may surpass that one. There are very few choice examples of this rare Running Fox variety. The remainder of the top seven pieces are graded VF, though not all are choice. This example would be impossible to improve upon on the basis of aesthetics alone, and its provenance is clearly best of breed, equaled, perhaps, by only the Maris-Garrett coin in the previous lot.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers. Earlier, from New York Coin and Stamp’s sale of the Lorin G. Parmelee Collection, June 1890, lot 441; William Wallace Hays Collection; Dr. Thomas Hall Collection (via Charles Steigerwalt, 1903); Hall Estate to Virgil Brand Collection, 1909; F.C.C. Boyd Collection; John J. Ford, Jr. Collection; Bowers and Merena’s Frontenac Sale, November 1991, lot 235; William Anton Collection; E Pluribus Unum Collection, via Larry Stack.
