1788 VT 1/2P Bust Right, RR-22, BN MS(PCGS#800836)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8411

Grade

XF45

Price

5,280

Lot Description

Superlative Example of 1788 RR-22 1788 Vermont Copper. RR-22, Bressett 10-Q, W-2165. Rarity-4+. Bust Right. EF-45 (PCGS). 96.6 grains. Tobacco brown surfaces have areas of gloss and luster, and the only marks worthy of merit are those well-hidden in the obverse effigy's hair where some old faint scratches appear, and a tiny cut on the rim at 6 o'clock. Another horizontal die break connects the rim to the bottom of the shield. The die is also swollen in this state, again from Liberty's leg to the field beneath DE. Some central reverse roughness is noted, caused by lack of flan flow to the dies in that area. Though RR-22 is not a great rarity today, very few really nice, high-grade examples have survived. This piece, ex-Hinkley, and the finest attributed RR-22 in the PCGS Population Report, is about as nice as they come and very well may be in the condition census. The Ford example, in Mike Hodder's classic undergrading, was called "Very Fine, sharpness in places of Extremely Fine" and was graded EF-45 by PCGS in its last appearance in our August 2011 ANA Sale. Both the Ford and this Hinkley coin have the luster and look of an AU but were undoubtedly net-graded due to the flan flaws and scratches, respectively, on these two coins. This piece has been off the auction market for over two decades, so anyone desirous of owning a high-grade RR-22 should strike before this coin is squirreled away for another couple decades. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Robert I. Hinkley Collection, November-December 2001, lot 2382; Jack Wadlington; Anthony Terranova; Stack's Rare Coins, January 2008. To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here. PCGS# 800836. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.