1788 Connecticut Copper. Miller 13-A.1, W-4535. Rarity-5. Mailed Bust Left, CONNLC. EF-40 (PCGS).114.7 grains. Lovely olive-brown surfaces are hard and glossy, accented by some light tan mottling and a trace of mint red tightly outlining the back of the effigys head. No flaws or serious defects of any kind. Somewhat unevenly struck and off center on both sides, which is more often than not the case for this scarce pairing. It is a desirable variety for the CONNLC engravers error, and it is among those listed in the <em>Guide Book,</em> adding to the demand. As specialists know, this obverse is only known in this pairing. Where the strike is sharp, the fields show fine die finishing lines, an element not frequently seen on a Connecticut. The reverse is bisected by a crack from the rim right of Libertys head, to the rim below the I of INDE.<br data-uw-rm-sr="" role="presentation" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;widows:2;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;word-spacing:0px;" /><br data-uw-rm-sr="" role="presentation" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;widows:2;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;word-spacing:0px;" />It was described as a "small trophy for the Connecticut die variety collector" in our July 2005 Coin Galleries sale, and this seems to remain the case almost two decades later as we are aware of only one finer, the Garrett-Partrick coin that realized $9,000 in November 2020, graded NGC AU-58. None of the other great collections we have handled has produced anything to rival this example. This piece brought just shy of $9,000 in our July 2005 sale, and $10,800 in our sale of the Twin Leaf Collection. This is the single finest graded of the 1788 CONNLC variety at PCGS.PCGS# 687232.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from our (Coin Galleries) July 2005 sale, lot 1270; Anthony Terranova; our sale of the Twin Leaf Collection, Spring 2019 Baltimore Auction, lot 8389.
