(1790) Church 1D Albany, New York 'D' Above, BN MS(PCGS#610)

Spring 2023 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1140

等级

VF35BN

价格

355,941

详细说明

Impressively Overstruck Albany Church Penny Whitman EncyclopediaPlate Coin With D Variety (1790) Albany Church Penny. With D. W-8500, Breen-1170. VF-35 (PCGS). 110.8 grains. Perhaps the most eye-catching example of this rarity known, with more visible undertype than any other specimen known to us. While other examples show evidence of an undertype (typically either a counterfeit George III halfpenny or a well-worn William III halfpenny), none approach this one. The Church Penny obverse is struck, boldly and completely, on the reverse of a counterfeit George III halfpenny, oriented with its 12 o'clock position around 7 o'clock of the overstrike. The exergue line is clear, as is Britannia's head and most of BRITANNIA. On the blank reverse, much of the king's portrait is still visible, as is GEORGIVS and REX. Both sides are elegant medium chocolate brown with lighter tan devices. The surfaces are glossy and appealing, and the strike on the countermark is absolutely complete, far better rendered than usually seen. No marks require mention, just a scattering of contact points commensurate with the grade. The D on this variety represents the common abbreviation for penny. Not only did the church succeed in remonetizing coppers that were too low in weight to recirculate as halfpence, but by selling them at 12 to a shilling, they successfully turned them into pennies, thereby more than doubling their money. This variety with the D is about as rare as the variety without. Only a handful of better examples exist, but we see (for instance) the finest certified by PCGS is both incompletely struck and has no visible undertype. All things considered, we might prefer to have this one. Syd did too. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Heritage's sale of January 2007, lot 746. PCGS Population: 1; 5 finer (AU-50 finest). To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here. PCGS# 610. Click here for certification details from PCGS.