1787 NJ 1/2P Serpent Head, Maris 54-k, BN MS(PCGS#766278)

November 2019 Baltimore Colonial Coins and Americana Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

6153

等级

AU55BN

价格

46,321

详细说明

Double Struck Choice AU 1787 Serpent Head Condition Census Caliber 1787 New Jersey copper. Maris 54-k. Rarity-3. Serpent Head. Double struck. AU-55 (PCGS). 93.2 grains. Were it not for this piece’s remarkable misstriking, this would be a shoo-in for Condition Census consideration. The surfaces are lustrous light brown, fresher and frostier than nearly any Serpent Head we’ve encountered. The dominant second strike is well centered on the obverse, aligned to 12:00 with an unstruck area visible at the base of that side, and aligned to 7:00 on the reverse with a broader unstruck area atop PLURIBUS. The initial strike was well off-center. The first date is visible at the base of the plow, the eye below AE and the snout below the following S of CAESAREA, AREA hanging onto the rim above the same letters from the dominant strike. On the reverse, IBUS is buried into the top of the dominant shield, the first shield’s point is off the planchet, and UNUM barely hangs on. Interesting, the reverse die is rotated considerably more counterclockwise on this specimen than the one that precedes or follows it. The color and surface are both positively choice, with no laminations or post-striking flaws of consequence. A single tiny rim nick is noted on the obverse at 7:30. Die State 3, with both cracks as described. Errors like this have their own constituency, and they teach well about the striking process. The Serpent Head is believed to have been produced extralegally, that is, by an unauthorized mint. The lightweight planchets, poor axial alignment, and the free floating rotation of the reverse both suggest a certain lack of expertise that makes this variety distinctive from others, to say nothing of the stylistic considerations of a herpetological horsehead. Breen’s explanations of this variety’s origin were pure fantasy, but other origin stories are also necessarily speculative as well. It is possible that a study of Serpent Head errors may reveal that the issues with their minting equipment is similar to the issues seen on other varieties, perhaps providing evidence that this variety is less of an island in the universe of New Jersey varieties that it seems — or perhaps affirming the opposite. Its interesting error aside, this is one of the finest known examples of this legendary and popular variety. Provenance: From the E Pluribus Unum Collection of New Jersey Coppers. PCGS# 766278and 518. Click here for certification details from PCGS.