New Yorke Token Brass MS (PCGS#226)
The March 2013 Baltimore Auction
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 196
- 等级
- XF40
- 价格
- 586,620
- 详细说明
- Undated (Circa 1670) New Yorke in America Token. W-1705. Brass. EF-40 (PCGS). 52.47 grains. An extraordinary specimen of a very rare early American token, thought to have been struck on behalf of Governor Francis Lovelace of New York. The most exhaustive research on this enigmatic type was a paper by John Kleeberg, published in the 1991 ANS COAC proceedings. Therein, he enumerated 20 listings in brass, perhaps (or probably) including some duplication. At least one new specimen has been discovered since the paper was published, but overall this issue is at least Rarity-6+. Most are downright ugly. This piece is a remarkable exception. Its surfaces are hard, nearly smooth, and somewhat glossy, with the obverse showing deep brassy tan fields and more golden devices, while the NEW YORKE IN AMERICA reverse is closer to honey brown with some traces of brassy gold. A bit of old harmless encrustation is present around the legend, a few little specks on the obverse, none of which does anything more than suggest old originality. The sharpness surpasses every other example your cataloger has seen, either imaged or in hand, notably including the very nice Roper and Picker coins. A natural mint clip is present over OR of YORKE and an old curved scratch is noted with the aid of magnification under N of NEW. The eye appeal is superb. With sharpness and visual presence like this, it is easy to posit this for a place among the finest known examples. Though its provenance cannot be matched definitively to any on Kleeberg's list, it is likely one of the two from the Brand Collection, one of which was called "Very Fine," the other called "Fine," on the 1932 Burdette Johnson accounting. Mr. Craige valued this at $3000 about 1970, an extremely high valuation at the time. We have never seen another that matched this piece's sharpness or eye appeal. Its combination of the two marks it as an ideal addition to a connoisseur's cabinet.
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