1790 Standish Barry Threepence. W-8510, Breen-1019. AU-55 (PCGS).An exceptional specimen of this legendary rarity, one of the most popular pieces in the entire canon of early American coins for its distinctive design and history. Lovely deep gray surfaces are attractively toned and free from significant defects. Some very subtle spotting may be seen under examination, chiefly on the reverse, probably the remnants of old harmless lacquer that could easily be removed. The centering of this piece is superb, and the only weak spot of this often incompletely rendered design is left of 6 oclock on the obverse perimeter and the corresponding spot on the reverse. The softness there leaves the second S of STANDISH undefined and likewise loses Y of JULY on the obverse. Aside from that area, caused by a tiny mint clip, the peripheries are fully realized. The central devices are immaculately well struck, and the portrait (of Baltimore mayor James Calhoun) is simply superb. The only central weakness is opposite the deepest point of the obverse relief, corresponding to the left upright of H of THREE.<p><p>In his groundbreaking March 2010 article in <em>The Colonial Newsletter</em>, Max Spiegel listed this as third finest of 18 specimens he identified, trailing just the Ford coin and the untraced Jackman (1918) coin, which has been said to be at the Maryland Historical Society. He followed this piece in his census with the 1976 ANA Sale coin as fourth best (sold in our October 2018 Archangel Collection sale as PCGS MS-62) and the Eliasberg coin (sold by Heritage in April 2021 as NGC MS-62 and again in August 2021 as PCGS MS-61 for roughly 50% more) as fifth best. The only other example of comparable quality sold in recent years was the Garrett / Breen <em>Encyclopedia </em>plate coin, ranked seventh by Spiegel, which sold without benefit of its Garrett provenance in the May 2022 Heritage sale of the Dittmer Collection as AU-58 (NGC). <p><p>This silver token threepence is an anomaly in the early American coin series. Its struck in silver, which makes it an oddity after the 17th century. It displays a portrait of someone other than George Washington or an allegorical figure (only the famous George Clinton copper is comparable, and Clinton remains far better known than Calhoun). It bears the most precise date in the entire American series (July 4, 1790), and perhaps most important, was struck after the U.S. Constitution gave exclusive rights to coinage to the Federal government.<p><p>Spiegel posited that the July 4, 1790 date was intended to align with Thomas Jeffersons <em>Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States</em>, which shared that exact same printed publication date. Based on the weights Jefferson suggested for a dollar (376 grains), three pence of Marylands money of account would weigh pretty much dead on what a Standish Barry threepence weights. As supporting evidence, the Chalmers shillings were struck to a weight standard that made them honest-to-goodness Maryland shillings, based on Marylands statutory coin valuations and the observed fineness of Chalmers silver.<p><p>Whether these were intended as silver tokens or trials struck within the newly proposed Federal framework, they remain rare and rarely encountered today. Many are damaged, most are worn, and the vast majority are incompletely struck. This is one of the very finest known by each of these potential areas of judgement, and its first appearance at auction in 15 years deserves to be greeted with excitement.PCGS# 609.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Goldbergs sale of September 2008, lot 216; Heritages sale of January 2009, lot 3558; John Agre and Dave Wnuck (Coin Rarities Online), July 2009.
