1786 New Jersey Copper. Maris 21-P, W-4920. Rarity-5. Narrow Shield, Curved Plow Beam. MS-62 BN (PCGS). 158.6 grains. 28.0 mm. Glossy, lustrous and beautiful, a real Choice Mint State New Jersey copper. Ideal frosty light brown with lustrous haloes around letters where mint color was last to fade. Ideally centered on both sides, beautifully struck, choice in appearance and technical quality. A subtle old mark is present atop the shield verticals on the reverse, and a bit of old harmless verdigris hides close to the rim at the plowhandles, otherwise this coin is immaculate. Its grade understates the quality of its aesthetic appeal and real preservation.<p><p>Die State 3, with a pronounced cud below the star that precedes E PLURIBUS UNUM. The most interesting aspect related to the die state of this variety appears on the obverse, where a crack extends from the rim to the upright of E of CAESAREA at 3:00. The die fails in front of the snout, with a diagonal break appearing like a fold in that field. Some effort was apparently made to repair the die - or at least diminish the failure - and cross-hatched lapping lines are seen between the crack and the base of R in CAESAREA. On a coin of this sharpness and quality, they appear quite plainly. <p><p>This is listed as fourth finest known on the SHI Census, near the top of a crowded pack of really beautiful Maris 21-P coppers. The top two are Gems, or extremely close to it: the Ford-Partrick coin slots into the first rank, and the Spence-Archangel (our sale of October 2018) piece is close behind. Two EF+ coins follow, with the Maris Plate (ex Garrett) coin and this one tied but ranked third and fourth. A number of handsome EFs fill out the lower ranks, making this an uncommon Rarity-5, one that allows many collectors to own good looking specimens. <p><p>This one, long held privately in the Martin Collection and the Stack cabinet before that, is a tough one to beat. PCGS# 767882. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Lawrence R. Stack Collection, November 2006.
