1783 MD 3P Chalmers MS(PCGS#592)

Spring 2025 Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

2018

等级

AU50

价格

66,149

详细说明

This is a superior representative of a scarce and challenging early federal era silver type. Richly toned surfaces are awash in deep pewter-olive patina. Both sides are well centered in strike, although the lower obverse and lower right reverse are blunt and devoid of detail, as made, and due to misalignment of the dies. (The reverse is rotated 45 degrees clockwise from medallic alignment.) Those areas that are struck retain crisp, virtually full detail that allows ready appreciation of most major design elements. Nicely composed overall, even close inspection fails to reveal a troublesome blemish.<p>The private coinage of Annapolis, Maryland silversmith John Chalmers was made on his account to combat the abuses then being practiced with the cutting of Spanish silver 8 reales into their fractional parts. Chalmers offered to exchange those pieces for his own silver coinage, charging a commission to the exchanger. Chalmers produced silver pieces in threepence, sixpence and shilling denominations, the dies for which seem to have been engraved by Thomas Sparrow, who also engraved plates for Maryland paper currency.<p>The Chalmers coins were generally rather amateurishly made, and on the diminutive threepence the margin for error was particularly slim. Given all that could go wrong, from a clipped planchet to axial misalignment to an off-center strike, some weight must be put on manufacturing quality in addition to technical grade. That being said, the list of positive qualities is long for the coin offered here. It is a strong representative of the type and it is highly recommended for inclusion in an advanced type set.