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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[Steve in PA]

It's so nice to see one come out in that condition, it gives me hope that they are still out there!
Congratulations on a great coin Erik, you deserved that one as hard as you have been hunting

 

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[Erik in NJ]

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!

Thanks Jason, thanks for your kind words--coming from you they mean a lot...and I really appreciate the banner vote! Best, Erik

 

[Erik in NJ]

It's so nice to see one come out in that condition, it gives me hope that they are still out there!
Congratulations on a great coin Erik, you deserved that one as hard as you have been hunting

I appreciate it Steve...yes to my wife's chagrin I have been doing a bit of digging lately If you have any suggestions on further preservation of this one please drop me a PM....you find a lot more Colonial items than I do. Thanks again for your kind words.

 

[Iron Patch]

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.

No question your detail looks stronger, but being cleaned it's tough to say where it falls because some buyers might overlook it a little thinking it will retone some over time, where as others might not touch it. The bottom line is it's not rare enough to put the power in your hands, and when it comes to dug coppers unfortunately rarity usually matters more than condition because it's almost certain a coin will have issues. All that aside, it's a kicka$$ detecting find, and one I wouldn't sell for what I could get.

 

[CRUSADER]

Nice looking coin. Surprise me again & tell me the silly price (not a silly coin, just a British perspective thing) someone might pay for this one?

 

[Erik in NJ]

No question your detail looks stronger, but being cleaned it's tough to say where it falls because some buyers might overlook it a little thinking it will retone some over time, where as others might not touch it. The bottom line is it's not rare enough to put the power in your hands, and when it comes to dug coppers unfortunately rarity usually matters more than condition because it's almost certain a coin will have issues. All that aside, it's a kicka$$ detecting find, and one I wouldn't sell for what I could get.

Well the lighter pics were taken with my iPhone with light reflecting off the coin so they are much lighter than the coin actually appears. The scans really highlight the environmental damage, so neither pic shows the coin in the best "light." The only cleaning I have done was a quick bath in some warm peroxide and a light brushing with a Q-tip to remove the dirt. Then I applied some Verdi-Care to it to re-hydrate it. I know peroxide darkens copper a bit, but it's in reality a nice chocolate color. I'm going to try and get a better pic with a macro lens on my Nikon D200 this evening if I can.

I'm not planning on selling it--just want to conserve it the best I can. Drop me a PM if you have any suggestions on what I should or shouldn't do with it.

 

[Don in SJ]

Nice looking coin. Surprise me again & tell me the silly price (not a silly coin, just a British perspective thing) someone might pay for this one?

IP might chime in on this, he is the buyer/seller guy, but from what I see, the value varies considerably on Conn coppers, IP posted one that went for over $900 at a Stacks auction, but yet at another Stacks auction, one with "environmental damage" went for only a little over $100 (Lot 6506 Baltimore Auction November 2012). The rarity is just not high enough for a Conn to give a premium price for a grounder. But who know, maybe it would go for a decent amount, auctions are auctions, you never know. To me it would not be a coin getting sold, at least not till I would be ready to dispose of a bunch of finds.........I have found the rarity rating on this coin to vary also, from a Rarity 4 to Rarity 5+.

Added: I think the reason the one went for $900+ was it had basically no flaws AND it had "provenance". Colonial collectors put a premium on some coins depending upon who previously owned the coin, if that person was a well known collector from the past, the value increases, despite condition or rarity if compared to one identical that was previously unknown. To me, that is hard to understand, but they are the ones paying the big bucks for some of these coins, so if that is what they like, they will pay more for a "known" previous owned coin....

 

[Iron Patch]

Well the lighter pics were taken with my iPhone with light reflecting off the coin so they are much lighter than the coin actually appears. The scans really highlight the environmental damage, so neither pic shows the coin in the best "light." The only cleaning I have done was a quick bath in some warm peroxide and a light brushing with a Q-tip to remove the dirt. Then I applied some Verdi-Care to it to re-hydrate it. I know peroxide darkens copper a bit, but it's in reality a nice chocolate color. I'm going to try and get a better pic with a macro lens on my Nikon D200 this evening if I can.

I'm not planning on selling it--just want to conserve it the best I can. Drop me a PM if you have any suggestions on what I should or shouldn't do with it.

Well that's great to hear, because I thought you used something harsh on it. The coin is obviously much better than I would have expected it to be in person, just do to how you cleaned it.

 

[Erik in NJ]

IP might chime in on this, he is the buyer/seller guy, but from what I see, the value varies considerably on Conn coppers, IP posted one that went for over $900 at a Stacks auction, but yet at another Stacks auction, one with "environmental damage" went for only a little over $100 (Lot 6506 Baltimore Auction November 2012). The rarity is just not high enough for a Conn to give a premium price for a grounder. But who know, maybe it would go for a decent amount, auctions are auctions, you never know. To me it would not be a coin getting sold, at least not till I would be ready to dispose of a bunch of finds.........I have found the rarity rating on this coin to vary also, from a Rarity 4 to Rarity 5+.

Added: I think the reason the one went for $900+ was it had basically no flaws AND it had "provenance". Colonial collectors put a premium on some coins depending upon who previously owned the coin, if that person was a well known collector from the past, the value increases, despite condition or rarity if compared to one identical that was previously unknown. To me, that is hard to understand, but they are the ones paying the big bucks for some of these coins, so if that is what they like, they will pay more for a "known" previous owned coin....

Well the $100 coin was this one, which has very limited eye appeal even to a novice. The detail on mine is better than the detail on the $900 coin though there is a bit on environmental damage to mine. My coin looks very nice to the eye....I will be posting better pics soon. Regardless, the price is irrelevant as I'm not interested in selling my finds anyway--I work too hard for them and p*ss my wife off too much with all the time I spend detecting . I will just conserve it and display it proudly.

 

[Iron Patch]

IP might chime in on this, he is the buyer/seller guy, but from what I see, the value varies considerably on Conn coppers, IP posted one that went for over $900 at a Stacks auction, but yet at another Stacks auction, one with "environmental damage" went for only a little over $100 (Lot 6506 Baltimore Auction November 2012). The rarity is just not high enough for a Conn to give a premium price for a grounder. But who know, maybe it would go for a decent amount, auctions are auctions, you never know. To me it would not be a coin getting sold, at least not till I would be ready to dispose of a bunch of finds.........I have found the rarity rating on this coin to vary also, from a Rarity 4 to Rarity 5+.

Added: I think the reason the one went for $900+ was it had basically no flaws AND it had "provenance". Colonial collectors put a premium on some coins depending upon who previously owned the coin, if that person was a well known collector from the past, the value increases, despite condition or rarity if compared to one identical that was previously unknown. To me, that is hard to understand, but they are the ones paying the big bucks for some of these coins, so if that is what they like, they will pay more for a "known" previous owned coin....

I personally think in hand it's probably as good as the auction one, and price would be more about where it was sold, and just how things went that day. Sure there is no doubt some surface issues from being dug, but to me the detail makes up for it. That said, prices at those sales always seem to be higher than what you'd usually get.


Not very often a coin that old cleans up as good just with peroxide. Never around here.

 

[The Rebel]

WTG Erik! I've been blessed to find 2 at 1 site 3 years ago.

Also ment to say I've voted BANNER!

 

[davehky]

congrats on the awesome find..wow!

 

[CRUSADER]

Thanks guys, not quite as crazy as I thought but no chum change either.

I'm with the OP with selling stuff, I just like to know the value of everything to understand the market.

 

[Erving]

Without a doubt one of the best looking coppers I've ever seen dug. Congrats on an awesome find.

 

[Iron Patch]

Thanks guys, not quite as crazy as I thought but no chum change either.

I'm with the OP with selling stuff, I just like to know the value of everything to understand the market.

Look through these as many are rarity 5. You'll see lower grades get next to nothing, but price does climb as they get better, and not many (if any) have the detail of the coin found here. Just too bad it wasn't a 7 or better, because then you're talkin!

http://www.ebay.com/csc/Coins-Paper..._nkw=connecticut+copper+5&LH_Complete=1&rt=nc

 

[NJLargeCent]

I've never seen a CT copper on here that pretty--can't believe it survived so well in the Jersey sandpaper--I mean--soil. To me, a dug state copper in that fine shape should show proudly in the banner--my vote is in! Congrats!

 

[jyt2017]

I voted banner as well. What a score! hh an gl -Joe

Thanks Jason, thanks for your kind words--coming from you they mean a lot...and I really appreciate the banner vote! Best, Erik

 

[Erik in NJ]

WTG Erik! I've been blessed to find 2 at 1 site 3 years ago.

Also ment to say I've voted BANNER!

Thanks Reb--I really appreciate it. If you're not too far from me (I'm in northern NJ) we should detect together sometime.

 

[Erik in NJ]

I voted banner as well. What a score! hh an gl -Joe

Thanks for the banner vote Joe! I was thrilled to find such a nice piece of New England Colonial history! Best, Erik

 

[Erik in NJ]

I've never seen a CT copper on here that pretty--can't believe it survived so well in the Jersey sandpaper--I mean--soil. To me, a dug state copper in that fine shape should show proudly in the banner--my vote is in! Congrats!

Thanks brother--appreciate your kind words and banner vote! You know as well as anyone how rough our soil is and yours is way better than mine!