Question for 1785 Copper

[undertaker]

I picked up this coin today in a antique group shop in New Hampshire. My brother and I left Vermont for a motorcycle ride and hit some antique shops looking for antique bottles but when no bottles caught my interest I ended up purchasing this coin. I was wondering if this one is common, rare or scarce. I also was wondering what numbers that they classify it under. I know there were different dies that these 1785's were made but Im not sure which one this coin falls under.

 

[Iron Patch]

Here are the choices, and the good news is it's not the common one. Not going to be 5-E either, so it's listing is rare which ever of the three it is that are left. I'm editing this as I go, and just ruled out 2-A, which leaves 4-C and 4-D which share a die so it's just a matter of figuring out the difference between the two.

1785 Pointed Rays on obverse
Crosby 2-A - Rare
Crosby 3-B - Common
Crosby 4-C - Rare
Crosby 4-D - Rare
Crosby 5-E - Very Scarce

 

[Iron Patch]

Looks like your coin is Crosby 4-D, the difference being TIA in JUSTITIA is widely spaced compared to 4-C. Now say you got it for $50 and we'll call that a great deal!

 

[undertaker]

Thanks, That is the info I was looking for. I dug a 1783 Nova near or on a old revolutionary military road here in Vermont a few years ago. It was my second time out with my new metal detector. The coin was so worn it took a week to figure out what it was. Ive had a liking for the nova ever since. I direct most of my collecting to antique bottles and have a fairly large collection of indian artifacts that I have found in the field consisting of arrowheads, spearpoints and other stone tools. I have a small coin collection that my dad gave me and I have added eight colonial coppers to it in the past few years. Someday when time permits I would like to go through the collection and find out what I really have. I picked up this 1785 for $63.00. There was another one that was a 1783 that I saw for $90.00 but it had quite a bit of corrosion.

 

[Iron Patch]

Thanks, That is the info I was looking for. I dug a 1783 Nova near or on a old revolutionary military road here in Vermont a few years ago. It was my second time out with my new metal detector. The coin was so worn it took a week to figure out what it was. Ive had a liking for the nova ever since. I direct most of my collecting to antique bottles and have a fairly large collection of indian artifacts that I have found in the field consisting of arrowheads, spearpoints and other stone tools. I have a small coin collection that my dad gave me and I have added eight colonial coppers to it in the past few years. Someday when time permits I would like to go through the collection and find out what I really have. I picked up this 1785 for $63.00. There was another one that was a 1783 that I saw for $90.00 but it had quite a bit of corrosion.

Well you did great on that. I'd buy those for $63 all day long!

You should go back and look at all the coins they have because that Nova was very under priced.