A RARE 1787 CONNECTICUT HALFPENNY IN INCREDIBLE SHAPE!!!

[Erik in NJ]

This Victorian-era property I have been working this past weekend in my town has turned out to be a Colonial oasis. I have found many several Colonial firsts on this property which has been a real surprise and I believe is due to the remains of an old mill which is in the area. I will save those items for future posts, but wanted to share this incredible Connecticut halfpenny, which based on the decorator used in the die makes it rare or very rare coin to boot. It displayed on my Explorer SE Pro like a silver quarter, probably because it's in such good shape. Large coppers in northern NJ rarely if ever come out of the ground looking like this! I am also excited because it is my first colonial State copper in over twelve years of detecting. I have not nailed down the exact variety and have included photos and scans, neither of which really do the coin any justice. It is stuck off center and the date in cut in half, but due to the few years in which this coin was minted it must be a 1787 and there were over 200 varieties of this coin in that year! Please also note the die crack which goes through the letters "AUCT". This copper is the "Draped Bust" variety. Also note the very interesting look of the eye.

 

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[hogge]

Pics...

Stack's Bowers Galleries - Lot #11238 - 1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 37.2-k.5, W-4105. Rarity-5+. Draped Bust Left. VF-35.

AND WE HAVE A WINNER! I was way off! LOL

 

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[Sooper Dave]

Erik that is one Beautiful Old Copper! I can't believe the condition it's in! Congrats on a great piece of US History!

 

[hogge]

It's always a challenge to ID Ct.'s At least I was in the ball park.

 

[Iron Patch]

It's always a challenge to ID Ct.'s At least I was in the ball park.

yeah you had the date right..... (I think)

 

[hogge]

yeah you had the date right..... (I think)

OOOOHH!......OOHHH......I'm feeling a bit of pressure in my "nether" region!

 

[granthansen]

Erik, this is an amazing find. Not just in its rarity but in its QUALITY too!!! I'm kind of shocked that there haven't been any banner votes. You're getting mine for sure. I think we on Tnet forget how rare and important some old US coinage is. ANY of us would be doing cartwheels for find this, especially in this condition. Hell, I'd be jumping to find one in the condition others have posted. The rarity and quality alone are deserving of it. Well done... now get me on that property soon!!!!!!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Great shape that copper is in, congrats on the find as they don't come out of the ground much better than that!
How do other copper/brass items look from the site as the soils were really kind to the coin?

Hi pepperj, It's a mixture at this site. I have dug two Colonial buckles there so far--one with a full chape that still pivots. They both came out of the soil in very nice condition. A well worn KG III halfpenny I dug yesterday was absolutely toasted. So I think this coin somehow miraculously escaped the kind of damage that is done to most old coppers in my area and in large parts of my region.

 

[Erik in NJ]

That is a very nice CT copper, URS-7 R, R-5 I believe which is still rare at this time, but rare in CT coppers is rather subjective, since many varieties are rare or even rarer, but still in that condition, it would be hard to top finding another one in the ground in that great of shape.
It is a 1787 Miller 37.2-k.5 variety. I hope someone else who has a book on Conn coppers can verify, but I am rather certain that is it....

Thanks Don, looks like you nailed the ID on this one! Thanks for your advice and kind words. I'm still a bit shocked at the condition of this one. I will PM you soon to discuss any possible next steps in conservation as I think it warrants the right care. Typically with a rarity of R-5 or R-5+, how many known examples exist?

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

Phenomenal find! That coin looks amazing!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Pics...

Stack's Bowers Galleries - Lot #11238 - 1787 Connecticut Copper. Miller 37.2-k.5, W-4105. Rarity-5+. Draped Bust Left. VF-35.

Thanks for the pics IP, other than the bit of environmental damage, mine looks to be in better condition that this one, though this is a centered strike. I can see the die crack clearly here through "AUCTO" which is also on my coin.

 

[Erik in NJ]

UNREAL! Punctuation after "ET-LIB" mirrors M39.1-h1. The rest mirrors the "Machin Mills transitional" pieces. Possible M37.8 LL or M37.12 LL. These have the large date which I think you have. This is a tough one as I haven't seen the punctation on these pieces as of yet. It could possibly be the "LIR" VERY rare variety but the strike is so clear that the bottom of the "B" is still almost completely intact. THIS IS A GOOD 1 to try and figure out. WORK CALLS..............I'll see what Don and IP may say about this. Extremely Kool Coin! Hogge " The position of that punctuation bothers me on ID. This is going to be a good 1 to ID.

Thanks Hogge! I will have to take a closer look at those varieties when I get the Whitman book. I only got as far as M37.1 on the CoinFacts page as they only show certain varieties. It seemed all the M37.x varieties were listed as rare or better.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Erik, this is an amazing find. Not just in its rarity but in its QUALITY too!!! I'm kind of shocked that there haven't been any banner votes. You're getting mine for sure. I think we on Tnet forget how rare and important some old US coinage is. ANY of us would be doing cartwheels for find this, especially in this condition. Hell, I'd be jumping to find one in the condition others have posted. The rarity and quality alone are deserving of it. Well done... now get me on that property soon!!!!!!

Thanks Grant!

Well with a rarity of R-5+ and a copper in this condition, it would be nice to see this piece of Colonial Americana up on the banner. I have seen a number of dug state copper posted here, but one would be hard pressed to dig a copper in better condition. The R-5+ rating to me is just icing on the cake... I followed Don SJ's advice on how to carefully clean and preserve the coin as best I could. I will try to get some better quality photos posted tonight with a 35mm digital camera as the iPhone pics and the scans don't really do it much justice.

Regardless if it makes it on the banner, it'll always be a banner find to me.

Thanks for the banner vote!!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Phenomenal find! That coin looks amazing!

Thanks oxbow! Almost on par with some of your excellent finds up in MA! We may be up at the Cape this summer--would be fun to finally get a chance to hunt together. Best, Erik

 

[oldsalty19]

 

[kuger]

Fantastic bud!!Never have seen one!!!Banner!!

 

[John Boy]

Same here Kuger I've never seen one before neither and it's in great shape to.Banner vote in.way to go

 

[artyfacts]

You have to love Jersey greenery, love when they come out of the ground looking like that.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Fantastic bud!!Never have seen one!!!Banner!!

Thanks for the banner vote Kuger! This is actually the first clear one I've seen ... I didn't even know what it was for a while until I looked up the moto on the obverse here on T-net. Appreciate your kind words and nomination!

 

[Erik in NJ]

Same here Kuger I've never seen one before neither and it's in great shape to.Banner vote in.way to go

Thanks John Boy for the banner vote--I appreciate it very much! Would be awesome to see this lovely 225 year old coin up there!

 

[oxbowbarefoot]

After looking into your amazing CT Copper a little more, I can't sit on the fence any longer. That coin is simply too rare and in too good of condition to not have it on the BANNER. My vote is in, and I hope to see that beauty up top soon!