1710-AA French Colonies 30 Deniers, or Mousquetaire. Metz Mint. Vlack-8. Breen-282. Rarity-2. MS-63 (PCGS). 40.5 grains. An unusually lustrous specimen, with fresh light silver gray surfaces mellowed to deeper gray on devices amidst strong cartwheel. A curved planchet clip narrowly missed the tops of NAV at the lower left obverse but reached E of DE at the upper left reverse. The planchet texture is still visible around the flat spots of the periphery, from 10 o’clock to 4 o’clock on the obverse and 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock on the reverse, but the centers are nice and crisp. A few little green specks hidden there are not harmful to the superlative visual appeal. A really exceptional specimen, almost as nice as the gorgeous Ford:66 coin (that brought a gaudy $8,625, commensurate with its quality, more than 15 years ago). PCGS# 158677. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Anthony Terranova Collection; John Agre and Dave Wnuck (Coin Rarities Online), via Mike Wierzba, January 2008.
