1788 Cent Massachusetts, Period, BN VF35BN 认证号40763771, PCGS号948

Ron Guth

1788 Massachusetts Cents are divided into two categories: With Period after MASSACHUSETTS and No Period after MASSACHUSETTS.  As a group, the No Period varieties are much scarcer than the With Period.  Numerous varieties comprise the With Period variety, some of which are common, others of which are quite rare.  The die varieties are designated with Ryder numbers, after Hillyer Ryder, the collector who published a die study in 1920 (for those who are interested in obtaining a copy, reprints are readily available on online sites such as eBay).

Until recently, it was difficult to locate examples of the With Period in Mint State.  The sale of the Donald Partrick Collection in early 2015 changed all that.  The PCGS Condition Census reveals that almost all of the Top 10 examples of this variety are from his collection.  The finest example certified by PCGS is a single MS66BN which -- no surprise -- is from the Partrick Collection. 

In an odd twist, the top price realized at auction for a 1788 Massachusetts With Period Cent was $64,625 for a desirable and rare, contemporary counterfeit, Ryder 14-J -- from the Partrick Collection!