1785 Machin’s Mills CEORCIVS III REX / Immune Columbia Muling. Vlack 15-85NY, W-1995. Rarity-5+. Fine-15 (PCGS).108.4 grains. A marriage between the Machin’s Mills counterfeit series and the Immune Columbia patterns, a rarer parallel to the Vermont Ryder-1 copper. Well centered and remarkably well detailed for this crudely produced issue, this piece includes full obverse legends, full reverse legends, and a nearly intact date, basically threading the needle of ideal centering on the typically tight planchet. Only the bottoms of the date digits are troubled by the rim, but all four are present and visible. The surfaces are smooth and pleasing olive and gold, and though this piece displays little central detail, it would be easy to make a case for this really being a full Very Fine or better based upon wear alone. This issue is almost always ugly, misstruck and off-center upon a terrible planchet that was made worse by damage, wear, and ground exposure. We haven’t offered a really nice one since our 2013 Ted Craige sale, which featured a coin graded a touch higher than this one, but showing no date at all nor the wholesome central reverse details of this coin. That piece had really pretty color and little wear, but this one is better balanced, better centered, and less flawed. Call it a wash. The reverse of this coin is about as perfect as ever seen on this bizarre issue, a nonsensical combination of dies put together to churn out product during an otherwise typical week in Newburgh.<p><p>From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
