1737 Higley Copper. Freidus 2-B.a, W-8225. Rarity-8. VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE / I AM GOOD COPPER, 3 Hammers. VF-20 (PCGS). 155.2 grains. Another impressive and seldom seen Higley copper from the Syd Martin collection. This is one of just two known examples of the die variety and one of a mere three coins that comprise the total population of the VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE / I AM GOOD COPPER, 3 Hammers <em>Guide Book</em> variety. One of those three, the unique 2-B.b die variety ex Parmelee-Mitchelson, is now impounded in the Connecticut State Library. That leaves the present coin and the NGC VG-8 Newman piece as the sole examples of this obverse legend type available to collectors. To put the rarity of this variety in context, this is tied for third rarest of the 16 Higley copper die varieties, the lone third rarest of seven <em>Guide Book</em> varieties, and the VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE obverse featured here is second rarest of eight individual obverse and reverse die types trailing only THE WHEELE GOES ROUND obverse.<p>While not perfect, this example has a more than satisfying level of detail and eye appeal for a Higley. Described in our 2008 Americana sale as: "Pleasing light golden brown, a distinctive and appealing shade within this typically-dark series, with some deeper toning around peripheral legends and devices. A bit brassy in appearance, excellent aesthetic appeal for any Higley, let alone an especially rare one. The surfaces are very finely granular throughout, somewhat rougher at center where the broken die was sunken and exerted insufficient pressure to obliterate this natural planchet texture. This mostly manifests above the deer on the obverse and in a diagonal band from below GOOD to above the date on the reverse. The obverse die is badly broken, undoubtedly the cause for the rarity of this well-known variety. A large internal cud extends from the center of the deers back to below O of YOU, causing a bulge in the upper obverse field surrounding the break." A less advanced version of this die break is seen on the Parmelee-Mitchelson 2-B.b coin, while on the Newman 2-B.a the break appears indistinct but is most likely there, just obscured by the heavy wear.<p>The aforementioned Newman example, the only other specimen known from these dies, is graded NGC VG-8 and sold for $76,375 in the Newman Collection sale of May 2014, and then for the bargain price of $28,800 when reoffered as in 2019 as part of the Poulos Family Collection. While the surface quality is roughly comparable between the two as the Newman coin was smoother but heavily scratched, and this coin has some roughness but is largely unmarked, the present coin is clearly the finer of the two as it has much sharper overall detail and more impressive visual appeal. A highly appealing Higley copper that offers satisfying quality and exciting rarity. PCGS# 210. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Jim King; our (Bowers and Ruddys) C.W. Krugjohann Sale, May 1976, lot 23; our (Stacks) sale of the John L. Roper, 2nd Collection, December 1983, lot 150; Anthony Terranova; our (Stacks) Americana Sale, January 2008, lot 5611; Lawrence R. Stack, August 2008. Plated in Walter Breens <em>Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins</em>, p. 40.
