1787 New Jersey Copper. Maris 56-n, W-5310. Rarity-1. Camel Head--Overstruck on a 1783 Nova Constellatio Copper--VF-35 (PCGS). 108.7 grains. 29.0 mm. Overstruck on a 1783 Nova Constellatio copper. One of just three identified examples of this die marriage struck over a Nova Constellatio. Neither of the others is quite this high grade. The example from the 1978 Robert Branigan sale (Bowers and Ruddy) was graded Fine and the example we sold in the November 2019 E Pluribus Unum sale was graded VF-30 (PCGS). This example is sharp and appealing, with smooth and glossy medium brown and pale blue surfaces. Just a hint of rosy iridescence in protected areas persists from a light ancient cleaning. The obverse is aligned to 8:00, while the reverse is ideally centered. LIBER of LIBERTAS is easily seen at the end of the plowbar on the obverse, while the reverse shows CONSTEL very clearly above UNUM. Enough stars and radiants are visible to identify the undertype as 1783 Crosby 1-A with relative certainty. A couple of little scratches are seen at the central obverse, rim nick over S of CAESAREA, another at the plow handles. Die State 2, with both cracks. A good looking and well detailed example over a particularly interesting host. While certain Vermont varieties struck in Newburgh, New York are common over Nova Constellatios (Ryder-12 in particular), as are a number of 1788 Connecticut varieties, the New Jersey coiners seemed not to ever acquire a quantity of them for use as planchets. Even on the other often-overstruck New Jersey coppers, only a small handful of these are known. PCGS# 767837. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Anthony Terranova; Tom Rinaldo, July 1993; our sale of the Steve Tanenbaum Collection, January 2012 Americana Sale, lot 7589.
