1724 Rosa Americana Pattern Twopence. Martin 6.1-I.1, W-1362. Rarity-7+. Specimen-62 (PCGS). 179.0 grains. A glorious example of the issue and the rarer of two varieties for the date. Called Choice Uncirculated in the conservatively graded Ford sale and noted as being of "magnificent quality." The surfaces are wonderfully original and extraordinarily well preserved, with frosty mint luster covering both sides and lovely and displaying ideal color for a Bath metal planchet, medium brown with vivid yellow-gold highlights. The strike is superlative, perfectly centered, fully and boldly impressed with devices in notably high relief and a solid border of dentils around each side. There are a few minor marks that apparently precluded what we feel is still a deserved higher grade. These include just a few thin hairlines in the right obverse fields and short nicks in the left, none of any real severity nor distracting in the grand scheme of this outstanding coin. The reverse displays a touch of trivial granularity in the fields, totally forgivable for this series. Overall exceptional quality and eye appeal and easily among the finest known of the variety and 1724 date.<p>This coin represents the Martin 6.1-I.1 variety, slightly different than the dies of the two preceding lots, distinguished by the abbreviated "M.B" in the obverse legend as opposed to "MA.B" and the reverse with slightly different letter and number punch placement but the same design, legends, and punctuation. There are just five examples known of this variety and this is among the two finest. Its rival is the G.J. Bauer-Robison-Roper coin which also appears to be a lovely Choice UNC though we note weakness of strike along its reverse border. The Ford catalog listed the Bauer and Roper coins as separate examples, and Syd followed this in his census, but they are in fact one and the same. One piece can be added to Syds census however to keep the count at five total pieces, namely the Nelson-Ryder-Boyd-Craige example we sold in March 2013. The other two examples are the Mills-Jenks-Garrett coin, which appears UNC or nearly so but lightly rough, and the secondary Ford coin which is the lot to follow. The most recent auction appearance of this variety was the aforementioned Craige coin, a lightly granular PCGS SP-53, that realized $17,625. This gorgeous Uncirculated specimen, probably the finest known, is in a different league and worthy of the strongest bids. PCGS# 905743. From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Virgil M. Brand Collection; New Netherlands Coin Company; our (Stacks) sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part IX, May 2005, lot 188. Plated in the Martin reference "The Rosa Americana Coinage of William Wood," pp. 292, 324.
