1786 Immunis Columbia / New Jersey copper fantasy by C. Wyllys Betts. Struck on 1787 Maris 6-D. About as struck.129.2 grains. Coin turn. A production made by the talented and whimsical hands of C. Wyllys Betts himself. Betts’ crudely hand-engraved die was hammer struck over the obverse of a typical circulated New Jersey copper, itself finely granular and now a bit flattened.<p>Betts engraved this die in the mid-1860s while still a student at Yale. Interestingly, he made at least three different Immune / Immunis Columbia dies. His Immune Columbia dies were dated both 1785 and 1786. His 1785-dated die is known struck over a Nova Constellatio copper (naturally), see Ford XIV:552. His 1786-dated Immune Columbia die was married to his fantasy Nova Eborac die, a strike from which was offered in Ford XIV:553 and later in our January 2011 Americana sale. Just as a 1785-dated Immune Columbia die is a natural pairing with a Nova Constellatio copper, this 1786-dated Immunis Columbia die is a natural pairing with a New Jersey copper (though it should have been a Maris 6-C, not a 6-D!). We sold Betts’ actual hand-engraved Immunis Columbia die in our November 2017 sale as lot 4289.<p>Betts’ productions are avidly collected, charmingly engraved, and historically important as relics of the earliest days of advanced American numismatics. After his collegiate hijinks, Betts grew into a highly regarded author, and his work on early American medals is still the standard reference.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers.
