1786 New Jersey Copper. Maris 22-P, W-4935. Rarity-7. No Coulter. VF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 144.5 grains. 28.9 mm. One of just nine known examples of this "misplaced" No Coulter, out of order from the others in this type in the Maris numbering sequence for apparently no reason other than easy layout of the Maris photographic plate. This is perhaps the sixth finest known example, and just the third to sell publicly in the last 30 years. After the seventh finest known piece sold in the 1992 Henry Garrett ("Spring Quartette") sale, Fords sold in 2003 as then finest known, followed by a reappearance of the Garrett coin in our March 2017 Dr. Gordon Shaw sale and the November 2019 first-time offering of the E Pluribus Unum specimen. The EPU coin, then unknown to most of the collecting community, was graded VF-20 (PCGS) and brought $24,000. It is probably one position finer in the census than this one. The Shaw coin, the first to come to market since the Ford sale, brought $32,900 back in 2017.<p><p>When this coin last sold at auction in 1989, Michael Hodder noted how challenging it is to get a Maris 22-P, which he called "a notoriously difficult variety to obtain in anything better than Fine condition. When found at all, it is usually corroded and/or harshly cleaned." At that time, the most recent sales had been the 1988 Oechsner and 1984 Picker sales, as this Maris number was missing from Taylor, Norweb, and others.<p><p>This example is a grounder, sharply detailed but evenly and fairly heavily corroded, with deep chestnut brown patina and some hints of dark olive scale. The centering is essentially ideal. By virtue of wear alone, this is actually a bit higher grade than the EPU coin. The die crack to 4:30 on the obverse is not entirely visible here, but it is present between the plow bar and singletree.<p><p>The No Coulters are, as a class, among the most challenging subsets of the New Jersey coppers. Almost all are at least very scarce, several are rare, and a couple more are just about non-collectible. Four are unique. This variety, for its oddball numbering and its population that includes both nice coins and relative dogs, stands out as a Maris number collectors at least have a hope of obtaining, even if their hopes of getting a pretty one are fairly dim. This example has scratched the itch for several august collectors, Syd Martin notably among them. PCGS# 756004. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Harry Resicgno Collection; our (Bowers and Merenas) Saccone sale, November 1989, lot 1578; William T. Anton, Jr.; Roger Siboni.
