1785 Connecticut Copper. Miller 6.3-G.1, W-2400. Rarity-3. Mailed Bust Right. AU-58+ (PCGS).131.8 grains. A stellar example of this die marriage, off the market since the legendary 1975 EAC Sale. Frosty luster persists, especially around the obverse periphery, mellowed to fine gloss elsewhere across smooth medium brown surfaces. Nicely centered and displaying an above average strike for the variety; the reverse is aligned trivially to 6:00, affecting the bases of all date digits except the 8. The centers show their typical softness, revealing the planchet’s original texture where the strike was insufficient. Few problems are noted, just a very minor rim bruise above OR of AUCTORI and a little bit of harmless and well-hidden verdigris among the details of the cuirass. The die state is on the early side of typical, with two cracks beginning to surround the E of INDE, creating some swelling at the sprig hand. In later states, this swelling consumes much more detail in that area. <p>When this coin was offered in the 1975 EAC Sale, it was called “perhaps the finest known,” outpacing the best coins sold in the generation before 1975. Breen noted “we do not positively know of a finer example.” The next generation of collections revealed some pretty good ones, the best of which is probably the Oechsner-Partrick coin, now graded MS-63 BN (NGC). The Perkins coin was described as “tied for second finest known” with Bobby Martin’s coin (a PCGS EF-45 that brought $720 in our November 2019 sale) and the Ford primary coin. Though both of those are nice enough, this one is head and shoulders above both of them. The Hessberg-Royce coin was extremely choice, but certainly less sharp (PCGS EF-40), netting $4,025 in our November 2012 sale. We also offered an NGC AU-55 in June 2013 that was pretty decent, bringing $1,527.50. For some reason, catalogs have overlooked even mentioning this one, but now that it has returned to the market it should take its rightful place high within the Condition Census. <p><p>From the E Pluribus Unum Collection. Earlier from the Stepney Hoard; Pine Tree Rare Coin Auction’s 1975 EAC Sale, February 1975, lot 20.
