The Unique Engraved Non Dependens Status Copper

W-148000

"1778" Non Dependens Status Copper. Engraved Original. W-14800. Unique. About Uncirculated.

145.6 grains. This is one of the most intriguing coins that we have ever had the privilege of bringing to auction. It is a coin whose true origins are unknown, but which is surrounded by numismatic legend. The earliest published account of the Non Dependens Status copper was in Charles B. Norton's Literary Letter No. 2 of 1858. The "Curiosa Americana" section of that publication opens with the statement: "In continuation of our article upon the relics of Washington, we take pleasure in presenting our readers, in this number of our catalogue, with engravings and description of two very remarkable coins which have been kindly furnished us from the collection of Winslow J. Howard, Esq., of this city [New York]." The first example was a rare Washington Getz pattern. The second piece, of immediate interest to the present offering, was described as follows: "The next coin is in pure copper, and is truly a well-executed design. On the obverse is a bust facing the right, which resembles that of an Indian chief or warrior; on the shoulder, within a small circle, are to be seen a flag and sword crossed, and the fleur de lis of France; on the breast is a small head with wings. Legend--"NON DEPEN DENS STATUS." "Obverse: Full length figure of an Indian seated on a globe, around the loins is an apron of feathers; in the right hand he holds a branch of tobacco, in the left a shield, with the American flag and sword crossed, and fleur de lis the same as on the shoulder-knot of the obverse. Around the whole is the Legend--"AMERICA, 1778." This piece is without doubt unique, and is supposed to be one of the many pattern pieces engraved and designed by Paul Revere." The coin described is the exact specimen being offered here. Besides identifying the earliest known owner of this unique specimen -- Winslow J. Howard, Esq., of New York City -- the Norton account introduces the idea that this coin was engraved by Paul Revere. This assertion has become an integral part of the legend of the unique engraved Non Dependens Status copper but, unfortunately, no evidence has ever come to light that conclusively links this piece to the famous patriot. Additional published accounts soon followed the Norton reference. John H. Hickcox's An Historical Account of American Coinage of 1858 included a listing of the coin, with Norton cited as the source. The following year (1859) Montroville W. Dickeson listed the coin and illustrated it on a plate in his American Numismatical Manual. After describing the obverse and reverse designs, Dickeson went on to write: "An engraved piece, so elaborately designed as was this, we are sorry to say, is without a history. It certainly must have thoroughly taxed the powers of design of some one, to combine so many emblems, and, at the same time too, so suggestive of facts and ideas, upon a single copper. "In the absence, however, of authoritative emissions of a currency, nothing more natural than that the field of speculation for supplying it should have been occupied with every variety of an article which could meet the public taste, and thus open the way for a more important result, which, for many of these copper emissions, was fully realized. "We found this specimen in the cabinet of Mr. Howard, of the city of New York, and it is the only one of the kind we have seen." After being brought to wider public attention by the Norton, Hickcox and Dickeson publications, the Non Dependens Status copper had become sufficiently famous that a market was envisioned for collectible copies. Accordingly, in 1859 or within a few years thereafter, George Hampden Lovett prepared copy dies that, at least initially, included the word COPY under the bust on the obverse. (COPY was later removed from the die, and examples were struck both with and without that word. On some pieces the word COPY has been tooled away.) Examples were struck in both copper and silver and published by Alfred S. Robinson of Hartford, Connecticut. According to Robinson, 200 examples were produced in copper, and just six in silver. These Robinson copies, as they are known, are attributed as W-15250 and W-15255, respectively, and they remain popular with collectors to this day. Copper impressions appear at auction on a fairly regular basis; our most recent offering for a coin certified MS-65 BN by PCGS realized $360 in our November 2019 Baltimore Auction, lot 4162. The silver examples are far more elusive, and understandably so given the paltry mintage. A specimen in that metallic composition and certified MS-66 by NGC brought $960 as lot 3283 in our May 2019 Baltimore Auction. That coin was also from the Q. David Bowers Collection. Returning to the unique engraved Non Dependens Status copper, the earliest known auction appearance for this piece followed within a few years of its earliest published accounts. Offered as lot 1393 in W. Elliott Woodward's November 1862 sale of the Finotti Collection, the coin was described as follows: "1778 Non Dependens Status. For a description and engraving see "Dickeson," p. 90. This piece is in most beautiful condition, perfectly unique, and is perhaps the most remarkable and valuable coin in the entire collection. Its origin is traced, with a tolerable degree of certainty, to the staunch old Revolutionary patriot, Paul Revere, of Boston." Presumably the Paul Reverse connection was picked up from the Norton account which, as stated above, is unsubstantiated. First published in 1875, Sylvester S. Crosby's now famous work The Early Coins of America included a sketch and obverse/reverse descriptions of the engraved Non Dependens Status copper and concluded with the statement, "Nothing is known of the origin or history of this piece." In the 20th century, Walter Breen recognized the engraved Non Dependens Status copper in a piece entitled "Unique American Coins" that appeared in the October 1954 edition (Vol. 2, No. 3) of MANA News published by the Middle Atlantic Numismatic Association, Inc. Item number 81 in Breen's listing is described as: "1778 Original (engraved) NON DEPENDENS STATUS. Ex Mrs. Judge Howard coll., c. 1865; Finotti 1393 (1862) @ $70. Present location unknown." The 1865 date for the Mrs. Judge Howard collection reference appears to be an error since, presumably, the coin passed into her possession from Winslow J. Howard, who owned the coin by 1858, i.e. before the 1862 Finotti sale. The realized price of $70 for this coin in the Finotti sale, as quoted by Breen, is interesting and sheds considerable light on the excitement that the engraved Non Dependens Status copper generated in its first auction appearance. As Q. David Bowers writes in his 2009 Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, other rarities in the Finotti sale included a Higley copper that brought $50, a 1792 Silver Center cent that realized $52.50, and a 1793 half cent cataloged as Extremely Fine that sold for $4. As the foregoing discussion makes clear, facts concerning the engraved Non Dependens Status copper are scarce. All we know for certain is that the piece first became widely known in numismatic circles in 1858, when the Norton account reported on the coin and stated that it was in the collection of Winslow J. Howard. The coin then presumably passed to Mrs. Judge Howard, and it later realized $70 as lot 1393 in W. Elliott Woodward's November 1862 sale of the Finotti Collection. After that the coin went into hiding, likely traded privately between a small number of tightly held collections. Its next known owner was Byron K. White, who became a student of this intriguing piece and eventually sold it to Q. David Bowers in 2001. The engraver of this coin remains a mystery, and when it was engraved is also unknown. As related above, the assignment of this coin to Paul Revere first saw print in 1858 but, to date, no documentary evidence has surfaced that positively links the engraved Non Dependens Status copper to the Boston patriot. We suspect that this coin first came to the attention of numismatists sometime during the 1850s, a decade that saw the first period of significant growth in the numismatic hobby in the United States. At that time Paul Revere was identified as the engraver, perhaps due to the similarity between the seated figure on the reverse of the Non Dependens Status copper and those used on the reverse of the unofficial Massachusetts coppers of 1776: the Pine Tree copper, Indian copper, and the so-called Janus copper. Those three coins are each unique for their respective type, Dickeson relating in his American Numismatical Manual of 1859 that Matthew A. Stickney identified Paul Revere as the engraver of the dies for the Janus copper. Regardless of who engraved the original Non Dependens Status copper and when they accomplished this work, it is an outstanding design that shows great skill on the part of the artist. The obverse exhibits a cuirassed bust of a man facing right with the legend NON DEPEN / DENS STATUS ("Independent State") around the border. Whole some have suggested that the portrait is that of George Washington, Byron K. White believes that it is a representation of Samuel Adams after a portrait by John Singleton Copley (as related in Bowers, 2009). On the reverse, a youth wearing a headband and feathered skirt is seated left on a globe. The youth holds a branch in his right hand and leans on an oval shield with his left hand. The shield is cut into diagonal quarters by a sword and flagstaff, in each of the four diamond-shaped corners of which is a fleur-de-lis, the symbol of France. The word AMERICA is at the border, divided AMER / ICA, and the date 1778 is below. The engraving on both sides is highly detailed, the bust on the obverse with particularly crisp delineation between the individual hair strands. Both sides are richly and evenly toned in warm antique copper-brown patina, the surfaces overall smooth with no significant handling marks. Close inspection with a loupe reveals a trace of light surface build up in the protected areas around many of the design elements, mentioned here solely for accuracy as this in no way diminishes the coin's appearance. The eye appeal is strong with minimal signs of handling. While the mystery of the original engraved Non Dependens Status copper may never be solved, it remains a fascinating piece of early American numismatic history. Making its first public auction appearance since 1862, we anticipate that this coin will see spirited bidding before selling to another collector with a keen interest in unlocking its many untold secrets.

From the Q. David Bowers Collection. Earlier ex Winslow J. Howard, Esq., acquired no later than 1858; Mrs. Judge Howard, presumably by inheritance; W. Elliott Woodward's sale of the Finotti Collection, November 1862, lot 1393; unknown intermediaries; Byron K. White, to the following; Q. David Bowers, acquired 2001. Collector tag with provenance notation included.