1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 47.5-e, W-5260. Rarity-8-. AG Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 136.2 grains. 27.3 mm. Reverse aligned slightly counterclockwise from proper coin turn. Perhaps not a beautiful New Jersey, but without question a rare and important one. This offering represents just the second opportunity collectors have had to acquire this variety at auction since its discovery 70 years ago. The surfaces show even but significant granularity on both sides, but the devices are smooth enough and stand out with great enough contrast to make attribution certain and easy. The date is present and complete, if not bold. The plow and horsehead are mostly complete, and the obverse die failure seen on the Boyd-Ford coin (the trouble that undoubtedly condemned this obverse to rarity) appears to be in an earlier state here. NOVA CAE is all present, but the obverses alignment to 4:00 prevented the rest of the legend from being struck up. Denticles are visible from 9:00 to 12:00 on that side. The reverse is soft, as seen on the Boyd-Ford coin, but the shield is fully visible and E PLURIBU is present. The reverse is aligned to 2:00. The dark olive patina has been interrupted and now shows with unnatural rose on some high points, particularly the obverse legend. Natural vertical fissures are seen on the obverse. Some abrasions are seen along the upper obverse rim and at the snout, along with more subtle horizontal marks in the top portion of the shield on the reverse. <p><p>Before this pieces discovery in 2015, just two were known. The discovery coin, first identified as a new variety by Walter Breen in 1951, spent its entire lifespan as a Maris 47 1/2-e in the Boyd Collection before it was sold in the 2003 Ford sale. Richard August turned up a finer example in the early 1970s, selling it to Bill Anton for $500 soon thereafter. It took more than 40 years for a third piece to be identified, found by the eagle-eyed Chris Young and sold to Syd privately. The other two examples probably outrank this one, but the difference between this example and the discovery coin is not vast. The August-Anton piece is said to be VF.<p><p>For New Jersey specialists attempting to achieve as many individual dies and marriages as possible, an opportunity like this is important. No amount of looking will allow an individual to cherrypick a variety this rare - the obverse die clearly failed early and few were struck. While there are a fair number of unattributed New Jersey coppers still around, students of the series have been examining and attributing every specimen they could since 1881. It took 70 years after Maris plate was published for this obverse die to be identified and now another 70 years for an example to appear at public sale for the second time. Most collectors who seek varieties as rare as this go their entire collecting lifetimes without ever having the luck to chance upon one. Instead, they have to buy them, and be willing to bid top dollar to acquire them, even in low grades.<p><p>There are 145 varieties of New Jersey coppers known to exist. Some 25 of those are Rarity-8 or unique. While the goal of reaching 100 varieties is possible without a single Rarity-8, an advanced collector cannot get to 120 without entering this rarefied air. Some of the Rarity-8 varieties are devastatingly expensive (4-C, 4 1/2-PP, 5-C, 7-C, 8-F, 62 1/2-r), placing even greater importance on offerings like this for most ambitious collectors. PCGS# 902572. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Christopher B. Young, December 2015.
