1786 Connecticut Copper. Miller 2.1-A, W-2465. Rarity-3. Mailed Bust Right, Round Head, ETLIB INDE. AU-55 (PCGS).

93.9 grains. Beautiful glossy surfaces and rich mahogany-brown in color. A lovely example of this distinctive major type. Sharp detail that is little worn and reasonably well struck for the variety. Some slightly rough original planchet texture remains at the weakly struck portions of the devices but there is no significant roughness, flaws, or damage otherwise; just a few little laminations at ETLIB. Fairly well centered, not perfectly so, but only portions of the dentils fall off the planchet, the date and legends are complete and bold. This coin's sharpness, eye appeal, and quality place it in the upper ranks of examples of this relatively common yet always in demand variety. No specimens sold in recent years readily surpass it. The Partrick NGC AU-55 is close but much more weakly struck showing only part of one of the grapevines on the shield whereas this coin shows most of all three. The primary Ford coin appears slightly sharper and perhaps has some luster but is not without some central flaws and roughness. The well struck Taylor coin, though graded EF-40 in that sale, appears comparable while a survey of the other major sales reveals mostly inferior specimens. This is the single highest graded example of the variety at PCGS. With wonderful eye appeal and provenance, it is a premium piece worthy of high quality variety or type set.

PCGS# 686823.

From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from S.H. and H. Chapman's sale of the John G. Mills, Esq. Collection, April 1904, lot 241; Hillyer Ryder; F.C.C. Boyd; our sale of the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, Part IX, May 2005, lot 244; Anthony Terranova Collection, January 2012. Plated in Randy Clark's "The Identification and Classification of Connecticut Coppers 1785-1788," pp. 220, 250, and 253.