1785 Vermont Copper. RR-1, Bressett 26-Z, W-2250. Rarity-5+. IMMUNE COLUMBIA. VG-10 (PCGS).123.8 grains. A pleasing, fairly high grade example of one of the most desirable and enigmatic Vermont varieties. Features the unusual combination of a crudely executed Bust Right Vermont obverse with a late die state Immune Columbia reverse, a die previously used on various Nova Constellatio patterns and later muled with a George III obverse. This variety is associated with RR-30 (the "Backward C" variety) and the aforementioned George III/Immune Columbia (Vlack 15-85NY) as all three feature extraordinarily poor letter placement in the legends, suggesting they were made by the same inexperienced die sinker at Machins Mills and combined with whatever miscellaneous reverse dies happened to be lying around. What was likely a whimsical project on a slow day toward the end of the Machins Mills operation made for some legendary rarities for numismatists today, challenging in terms of both condition and absolute scarcity.<p>There are perhaps 35-40 examples known of the present variety, an amount far lower than the number of collectors who desire to own one. This specimen is almost certainly among the best 10 or so, although ranking these in terms of grade is far from an exact science. While there is some of the typically seen planchet roughness and flaws, the surfaces are glossy and free from even the most minor post-strike problems. Predominantly light brown in color, with some areas of darker olive and deep maroon depending on the surface texture. Well centered detail on a slightly broader than average planchet, which allows for the vast majority of the legends to be visible and most importantly, a full, bold date - a notably rare feature for these and seen on only a handful of survivors. Overall, an excellent representative that would be right at home in a high quality set of Vermont coppers.PCGS# 800825.Ex Bill Anton, October 1967; Dr. Robert I. Hinckley; our (Bowers & Merena) sale of the Dr. Robert I. Hinckley Collection, November 2001, lot 2287; Jack Wadlington; Tony Terranova; Syd Martin; Inde Et Lib Fixed Price List #3, August 2018, lot 1. Bowers and Merena lot tag, clipped lot description, and various collector tags/envelopes with attribution and provenance notes.
