1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 43-d, W-5225. Rarity-1. Outlined Shield, Bulbous Nose--Double Struck--EF Details--Scratch (PCGS). 155.3 grains. 27.0 mm. One of the all-time greats among eye catching New Jersey copper errors, one of Syds favorite purchases from our November 2019 E Pluribus Unum sale, where it was described as follows: <p><p>"An exceptionally dramatic double strike, struck once normally then again 40% off-center with a significant rotation between strikes. Cataloged in the 1955 Spiro sale as: M. 43-d. Ex. F. A real freak. Double struck way off center obv & rev. Ex. rare var. broken die, heavy break not known to Maris. Rare. Bonus points to Schulman for knowing how rare this terminal die state is, Die State 3. The surfaces are glossy deep olive brown, smooth and attractive. The scratches noted by PCGS are very subtle scrapes on the plow handles and horsehead of the second obverse strike, barely noticeable and not a detriment to the visual appeal. This is a variety that is often encountered double struck, though most of them are pretty minor, suggesting a primitive feeder system that the coiners hadnt quite had the kinks worked out of. Major errors are more numerous from this variety than most, but they remain scarce. The off-center Maris 43-d from Ford:156 (at $8,050) is one such piece; that piece was sold one lot before this one at the 1955 Spiro sale. That coin brought $13. This one brought $17. We agree that this is the more eye-catching and valuable of the two."<p><p>Since the 2019 E Pluribus Unum sale went into the history books, the exceptional off-center Maris 43-d that preceded this coin in the 1955 Spiro sale was sold as part of Don Partricks estate liquidation. It brought $10,800 in May 2021. This piece remains more eye-catching today. Its combination of rare die state, high condition, and spectacular misstrike checked many boxes for Syd and undoubtedly will for other specialists as well. PCGS# 763359. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Hans M.F. Schulmans sale of the Jacob N. Spiro Collection, March 1955, lot 1534; our (Stacks) sale of the Herbert M. Oechsner Collection, September 1988, lot 1284; our sale of the E Pluribus Unum Collection, November 2019, lot 6122.
