1785 Nova Constellatio, Crosby 4-C, High R-6, nice Fine

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1785 Nova Constellatio Copper. Crosby 4-C, Breen 1113, Pointed Rays Obverse, Large US Reverse. Rarity-6, probably High in that rating. 110.9 grains. Fine or so, the obverse stronger than the reverse, the peripheries less strong than the central devices, as almost always the case. The obverse legend is full, the tops of the letters faint, but everything readable; the reverse is weaker, the last three letters mostly gone, the others ranging from strong to weak, the date mostly strong. The central US is full, as is the distinct wreath around it – more than enough to securely attribute the die variety, as the leaves in the wreath are tight against each other with the outer periphery of the wreath completely round, was all the other reverse dies have the tips of the leaves turned up, giving a more jagged look to the outer periphery. A VERY RARE VARIETY, the rarest of the genuine issues (the counterfeit 1786 is, of course, rarer), and one that is seldom offered for sale in ANY condition. The finest we know of is an Uncirculated piece in Bowers and Merena’s January, 1999 sale which brought an amazing $7475 despite being somewhat buried in that sale and not catalogued as the rarity it was. The Ford sale, as usual, had a pair in incredible condition, both of which had been off the market for 80-100 years! They were both graded AU, the first which was called the finest seen brought a paltry $1610, while the second brought $9,200! Needless to say, the buyer of the first coin received a bargain – while most in attendance thought the second piece was slightly finer, it wasn’t $7,500 finer. The Laird Park coin was AU, and t were EF’s in the Ludwig Smith sale and on our Fourteenth price list back in 1999, with solid VF’s in Oechsner, and the 1998 and 2001 C4 sales, the latter the only example of the variety in an auction that contained 40 Nova Constellatio coppers. An impressive piece for the specialist, and an opportunity that should not be missed as these will just get harder to find and more expensive as well. We have not offered an example for years, and seldom see the variety offered in ANY grade. This general type is pictured and listed on Page 52 of the 2009 edition of The Redbook, though that source does not differentiate between varieties; this is offered WITHOUT RESERVE. The newly-published book on colonials by Q. David Bowers, the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, lists this type as his W-1900 (page 77), w it is noted that this variety is “usually seen in low grades.” Winning bidder to add $6 for postage and insurance – ALL items we sell are sent via insured mail [or Registered mail for items over $500]. California residents must add appropriate sales tax. The pictures are of the actual coin being offered, and have been enlarged in size to show the detail. All pictures are hosted on e-bay, which sometimes degrades picture quality, so if they don’t come through for you please e-mail us – at least a day before the sale ends, please! – and we will be happy so send you the image by e-mail. As always, we offer a full, no-questions-asked return policy of 10 days after receipt of the coin if it fails to meet your needs in ANY way – AND WE OFFER ONE OF THE STRONGEST RETURN GUARANTEES ON E-BAY, though it has seldom been used; please check out our Feedback Profile or e-mail any comments or questions that you may have. Thank you again for your bidding interest. We accept credit card payments through PayPal -- credit card shipments will have immediate shipment of items upon notification of payment. The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items. read more

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