1786 New Jersey Copper. Maris 16-L, W-4840. Rarity-2. Straight Plow Beam, Protruding Tongue. EF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 140.76 grains. A generally medium brown example with glints of golden-olive, rose-red and steel-gray on the obverse. Surfaces are predominantly smooth, although we note roughness at the lower obverse and upper reverse borders that explain the PCGS qualifier, as well as the largely absent date in the former area. The strike is off center to 11 oclock on the obverse, 7 oclock on the reverse, but while the denticulation is uneven and incomplete as a result, most major design elements are sharply struck and crisp. This is DS 3, the usual die state for the 16-L pairing, with a solid tongue break and a large round cud among the denticles outside the letters RE in CAESAREA. From the Norman G. Peters Collection.
