1783 Washington Draped Bust Copper Imitation. INDEPEDENCE. With Button. Musante GW-Unlisted, Baker-2C, Breen-1200. Vlack 24-T (this piece). Copper. Plain edge. Fine-15 (PCGS).

27.8 mm. 119.8 grains. Glossy deep steel brown surfaces with many scattered marks from long circulation, but no damage to speak of, and most of the marks are naturally smoothed by age and handling. Though not high grade, this is a completely pleasing piece in every respect. This first appeared at auction in 1968, where Walter Breen cataloged it for New Netherland's 60th sale. Therein, he posited that this was a contemporary imitation of the 1783 Draped Bust, or Washington and Independence piece. There is little reason to call that into question, and it might help to explain why it is so rare. Most likely, the output was very small, and most were lost. The peculiar characteristics were described by Breen: "Massive head with bull neck, large ribbon bow behind, toga drapery low and with button, letters and date small, top wreath leaf ends almost midway between & and I, toothed border (rather than beaded) with many letters and 83 running into it; error legend, WASHINGTON & INDEPEDANCE [sic]. Rev. Liberty holding a long cone-shaped cap on pole, box not so tall as usual and longer with what looks like four drapery folds on it, no initials T.W.I. E.S. in exergue, legend runs into toothed border." He goes on to note the uneven strike, which is most evident on the reverse and that it was "consigned to us from one of England's oldest token collections." This very specimen is plated in Robert Vlack's die study of the series, published in The Colonial Newsletter, in 1978, and called Rarity-8. Breen, who had cataloged it in 1968, posed the question: "Unique?" in his Complete Encyclopedia. Rulau and Fuld, in their revision of Medallic Portraits, also used this piece as the plate and assigned a Rarity-8 rating, without discussion as to any known, other than referencing "New Netherlands 488" (this piece). It is also plated in Musante where he lays out the various dies under GW-108, though it is not specifically mentioned in the listing nor given its own number. As such, it is technically unlisted in that reference. All writers were working from the existence of this specimen, as it was the only one known for many years. We are aware of just one other example. As distinctive as this piece is-easy to pick out by the head style and certainly easy to confirm by the misspelling on the obverse-it is remarkable that only one additional example has come to light since the first auction appearance of this one at the end of 1968. This was still believed unique when we offered it in its second-ever auction appearance in 2013, where it realized $28,200.

From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex “one of England’s oldest token collections;” Fred Baldwin; New Netherlands Coin Company’s sale #60, December 1968, lot 488; Richard Picker; Ted Craige; our sale of January 2013, lot 11458.