1787 Massachusetts Cent. Ryder 1-B, W-6030. Rarity-7-. Aged Face. Fine Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 138.4 grains. A famous and exciting rarity among the Massachusetts cents, one of four distinctive and very rare contemporary counterfeit varieties that are believed to have been produced at Machins Mills. Just 11 examples are known of the present 1787 Ryder 1-B variety. This piece has porous light olive surfaces with orange on some of the high points and borders. A handful of scrapes are seen scattered across the obverse while there is just a single scratch on the reverse. Decent sharpness overall, there is some weakness to the legends due to strike and planchet quality, but almost all of the major detail is present and appreciable. The date is bold and the motifs display a good amount of detail, the sharpness in places more worthy of a VF grade. Quite comparable overall in terms of surface quality and detail to the <em>Whitman Encyclopedia</em> plate coin.<p>Among the less than a dozen extant specimens, very few can be called anywhere near choice. The finest is likely the Norweb coin which was graded EF-45 and described as "once cleaned," though today it would certainly be considered Choice AU at least. The Ryder-Boyd-Ford-Partrick coin and an example in ANS are decent mid-grade coins and the next best. Several of the remaining coins are either very low grade or suffer from unusually small planchets and missing detail. Despite its imperfect surfaces, the Martin example is notable as one of the few examples struck on a broad, unclipped planchet allowing for full detail. As a rare variety eagerly sought after by specialists in both the Machins Mills and Massachusetts copper series, examples are coveted regardless of grade. The present coin, being offered publicly for the first time, will no doubt see a good bit of competition and find an appreciative home in an advanced cabinet. PCGS# 902662. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Christopher B. Young, August 2003.
