1788 VT 1/2P Bust Right, RR-20, BN MS(PCGS#800835)

August 2023 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

Auctioneer

Stack's Bowers

Lot Number

8408

Grade

AU53

Price

5,280

Lot Description

Lustrous 1788 Vermont Copper Ex Crosby and Garrett Collections 1788 Vermont Copper. RR-20, Bressett 10-L, W-2150. Rarity-3. Bust Right. AU-53 (PCGS). 125.2 grains. A glossy and lustrous example of this common variety that fortunately comes on high quality, golden brown planchets like this one, making it the ideal and likely choice for type sets, as there is a small supply of superb AU coins. This one has a variegated patina, making it easy to verify as lot 566 in the Garrett Collection sale, a coin that once graced the collection of the granddaddy of colonial numismatics, Sylvester Sage Crosby. Well struck a bit off-center without any loss of peripheral details, the strike also impressed about as much detail from the dies as one will encounter on any Vermont copper, leaving behind the fine die lines that are often diagnostic of high grade early copper. Though a handful of coins can be traced to the Crosby Collection, they are always contested at auction, and we feel that this nearly Mint State piece will be no different. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Sylvester S. Crosby Collection, perhaps lot 1122 in John Haseltine's June 1883 sale of the Crosby Collection; our (Bowers and Ruddy's) sale of the Garrett Collection for the Johns Hopkins University, Part I, November 1979, lot 566; our (Bowers and Merena's) sale of the Dr. Robert I. Hinkley Collection, November-December, 2001, lot 2417; 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# 800835. 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.