1786 New Jersey Copper. Maris 17-b, W-4870. Rarity-3. Small Planchet. PLUKIBUS. EF-40 (PCGS). 150.5 grains. 27.0 mm. Glossy medium brown with superb sharpness and ideal centering on a small, thick planchet. The horsehead is in prominent relief, the legends are complete, and the date is clear, even as the peripheries have started to blur. Die State 3, with a diagonal failure from the field under the final A of CAESAREA to left of the date. Remarkably problem free, with just a trivial natural pit just left of center in the central shield and another left of the shields outer border. One of the most attractive and high grade examples of this later die state (and small planchet subtype) we can ever recall seeing.<p><p>This is ranked tenth on the SHI census. The Siboni-Howes-Ish book subdivides Maris 17-b into a large planchet subvariety, early die state examples struck on broad planchets (usually with undertypes), and a small planchet subvariety, later die state examples struck on virgin blanks that tend to be narrow in diameter and quite chunky. This is a perfect example of the small planchet subvariety. While the census listings appear with the large planchet subvariety, the second finest listed (the Ford-Partrick piece), this one, and likely others are examples of the later die state small planchet type. The second Ford piece, lot 99 from our 2003 Ford I sale, seems like an omission from the SHI Census. While others on the list may be higher grade than this one, few have this examples balance and long list of virtues. Its particularly choice. PCGS# 763327. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from William Hessleins sale of November 1927, lot 836; Hillyer Ryder to F.C.C. Boyd; Boyd Estate to John J. Ford, Jr.; our (Bowers and Merenas) sale of the Boyd, Brand, and Ryder Collections, March 1990, lot 1220; Roy E. "Ted" Naftzger, Jr., via Anthony Terranova; our (Stacks) sale of the William ODonnell Collection, January 2001, lot 110; Lawrence R. Stack Collection, November 2006.
