Undated (1860s) Copy of the Bar Copper by J.A. Bolen. Copper. 80.3 grains. Musante JAB-2, Kenney-1, W-14200. MS-63BN (NGC). Glossy medium brown with faint undertones of rose and gentle outlines of blue-gray steel around the obverse device. A couple of tiny and harmless patina spots are noted as is a gentle rim bump. Bold dentils around about half of the obverse as is typical of these well-made copies by Bolen, copies that were good enough to draw him some unpleasantries from contemporaries who considered pieces like this just too good for comfort. Indeed, some have been artificially worn to pass as original Bar Coppers, but they are fairly easy to spot. Sharp examples like this one are increasingly popular. According to Musante, this was the first of Bolens attempts to copy the early colonial coins, but he would eventually complete several different types. As further reported by Musante, just 65 are believed to have been struck in copper, though some accounts have been lower, including one published in the <em>American Journal of Numismatics</em> that suggested just 30. Though early colonial collectors may have expressed concern over issues like this, in modern times they are sometimes collected right alongside the originals, and this is one of those cases. This piece was once owned by Ted Craige, who was famous for his important and extensive colonial collection. From the Ted L. Craige Collection; our sale of August 2013, lot 1297; our sale of August 2018, lot 230.
