1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 56-n, W-5310. Rarity-1. Camel Head--Overstruck on a 1788 Vermont Copper, RR-16--EF Details--Damage (PCGS). 110.2 grains. 27.9 mm. Medium brown with darker mottled scale over finely granular surfaces. Nicely centered, very sharp and well struck, with decent overall visual appeal. A heavy contact point on the shield is slightly erupted at the central obverse. Nicely overstruck on a scarce Vermont undertype, with AUCTORI around the base of the New Jersey obverse, VERMON stretching from the horse ears to where the end of CAESAREA should be, and a clear little 1788 date at 3:00 on the New Jersey reverse. This New Jersey saw very little circulation before it gained an earthen provenance.<p><p>Vermonts are unusual undertypes on Maris 56-n, which is interesting considering that most Vermont coppers were actually struck in Newburgh, New York by contract. Either the mintages were just dwarfed by those of Connecticuts and the ambient population of other coppers, or Vermonts were just as easy to spend as New Jerseys and thus didnt represent much of a moneymaking opportunity for the minters of Maris 56-n. Mossmans Appendix 2 located just seven specimens, only one of which was identified as "Ryder 16 or 17." The cited coin was from the 1984 Picker sale, lot 231, and represents a different specimen than the one offered here. It was formerly in the 1886 Maris sale, where it was described as "Same variety, struck over a Vermont. NOVA VERMON." Even Dr. Maris was a sucker for these things. PCGS# 767837. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from McCawley and Grellmans 2001 C4 Convention Sale, lot 304.
