1787 NY 1/2P George Clinton, Excelsior, BN MS(PCGS#433)

October 2018 Baltimore U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

7088

等级

MS62BN

价格

1,170,076

详细说明

Spectacular 1787 George Clinton Copper The William Sumner Appleton Specimen 1787 New York George Clinton copper. W-5790. MS-62 BN (PCGS). 158.8 grains. One of the most distinctive of the Confederation-era coppers, the George Clinton copper always attracts attention when offered. This specimen is both finer and more distinctive than most, with a glossy and beautiful deep olive patina that resembles the most desirable Roman bronzes. Aside from an area of thin patina on the high point of Clinton’s jawline, the surfaces exhibit exceptionally even and particularly beautiful color, a shade and quality that would be delightful if applied and even more fortuitous when found naturally, as here. The obverse is aligned to 2:00, with the die edge visible from 6:00 to 9:00. The reverse is shifted a bit to 6:00 and shows the beaded border and an unstruck area above it atop that side. The devices are crisp and boldly detailed, and no significant post-striking flaws or damage are seen on either side. A few parallel lines between Clinton’s cheek and jaw are ancient, trivial, and barely visible. This coin’s special eye appeal matches its exceptional sharpness. This example, then the property of William Sumner Appleton, was one of just two examples of this charismatic rarity known to Sylvester S. Crosby when he penned The Early Coins of America. The other specimen known to Crosby was the Parmelee coin, last sold in the May 2014 Newman sale for $499,375 and the only privately held specimen finer than this one. Over the years, just over a dozen examples have emerged, and excitement follows whenever they appear on the market. The last specimen we offered was the Kendall coin, earlier from James Ten Eyck and Garrett, a PCGS EF-40 that brought $235,000. That example was struck over a 1787 Immune Columbia copper, a venture contemporary to this one that shares date punches and backstory. Of the 12 known, at least five are impounded: two in the British Museum, one in the National Numismatic Collection of the Smithsonian Institution, and the Lasser specimen at Colonial Williamsburg. Lasser’s coin was acquired at the legendary 2000 U.S. Marshals sale and taken off the market permanently. At least a few are well worn, like the F-15 (PCGS) Royce coin from our November 2012 sale and the VF-20 (PCGS) specimen sold by Heritage in August 2014. As New York considered its copper coinage in 1787, assessing the number of low grade counterfeit halfpence in circulation and examining the possibility of producing its own coppers, George Clinton was the state’s popular and high-profile governor. While not an official issue of the state of New York, this piece appears to have been struck as a trial in the hopes of landing a coining contract, or at least being allowed to operate a private mint legally. While New York never joined the likes of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, or New Jersey, the pattern issues struck during the first months of 1787 are among the most evocative and widely desired rarities of their era. The George Clinton copper has always maintained a primacy among them, rare and distinctive, with a collectible population that barely exceeds the fingers on one hand. This piece is among the best of them and stands as the finest certified by PCGS. Provenance: From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stack’s sale of May 1975, lot 463; the William Sumner Appleton Collection, to the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society by bequest in 1905; Stack’s sale of March 1973, lot 31. PCGS Population: 1, none finer. PCGS# 433 Click here for certification details from PCGS.