1788 NJ 1/2P Head Left, Maris 51-g Batman Shield, BN MS(PCGS#767835)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1347

Grade

VF25BN

Price

9,000

Lot Description

155.6 grains. An eye-catching example of this most elusive of the three Head Left varieties. Smooth and glossy light brown with just some subtle and attractive woodgraining on both sides. A very bold piece, with a well detailed and high relief horsehead and nearly fully detailed shield. The obverse centering is good, though the N of NOVA comes close to a planchet cutter gutter at 8 o'clock. The reverse shows an arc of denticles at base and softness in the legend at top, a characteristic commonly seen on this variety. A little curved clip above R of CAESAREA and UM of UNUM was small enough that the force of the strike rendered it subtle to the point of near disappearance. Aside from a single pit under E of CAESAREA, the only notable flaw is the presence of some scratches in the obverse exergue that obscure what was likely a very weakly defined date. The visual appeal, under a glass and at arm's length, remains positively top tier among survivors of this variety. SHI Die State 2, with the profound diagonal crack across the obverse found on most specimens, a crack that spelled an early death for this die and made this die marriage a rarity for today's collectors.<p>The 2024 SHI Census includes seven coins, all in the EF range but for the seventh ranked Maris obverse plate coin. That piece, last sold in our March 2017 Dr. Gordon Shaw sale, is the only one of them we've auctioned in the last decade. Examples nicer than this one are very tough to find and competitively pursued by collectors of all stripes.