1787 1/2P Immunis Columbia Eagle Reverse, Plain Edge, BN MS(PCGS#841)

November 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

1195

Grade

VF35BN

Price

3,360

Lot Description

This is a desirable example of an enigmatic issue, displaying handsome medium antique copper patina with hints of deep rose and light olive also evident as the surfaces rotate under a light. The obverse is only slightly aligned toward 7:30, bottom of 1 in date off the flan, other digits complete. The reverse is similarly aligned, the very tops of the letters BUS UN engaged by the border. Otherwise we note bold detail affected only by the light to moderate wear that one should expect at the PCGS-assigned Choice VF grade level. An old, light spot is out of the way at the lower left obverse border, faint scratch on the eagle's chest, several dull nicks over and around its neck and head, few scuffs over and before the seated figure on the obverse. The surfaces are hard and tight, however, and the in hand appearance is pleasing for the grade. The usual reverse crack from the eagle's right wing to the letter U in UNUM is noted.<p>The origin and intent of the Immunis Columbia coppers has long been debated by numismatic scholars. Walter Breen had suggested that they were patterns for a proposed U.S. coinage, although the number of examples known and the evidence for extensive commercial use that most display suggest that they were intended for circulation. If these had been intended as a proposal for contract coinage, as suggested by Breen and others, it would seem that fewer would have been struck and higher grade examples would be the norm. Instead, collectors rarely have the opportunity to acquire an example grading finer than Choice EF, and we offered one as low as Good-4 (PCGS) as recently as 2023. At the middle reaches of the numismatic grading scale, and solid in terms of both quality and eye appeal, the Richard August specimen will be a real treat for many collectors.