AUCTION RESULTS* OHN J. FORD, Jr. COLLECTION COINS, MEDALS AND CURRENCY Part V NUMISMATIC AMERICAN HISTORY Early American Coins and Tokens: Voce Populi, Auctori Plebis, Nova Constellatio and Massachusetts Coppers United States Medals: Naval, Historical and Diplomatic Medals OCTOBER 12, 2004 123 West 57th Street • New York, NY PUBLIC AUCTION SALE LOT # PRICE LOT # PRICE LOT # PRICE LOT # PRICE 1 2600.00 60 3000.00 119 975.00 178 17000.00 2 2400.00 61 6750.00 120 5250.00 179 1700.00 3 1300.00 62 1100.00 121 2000.00 180 600.00 4 1700.00 63 425.00 122 13000.00 181 675.00 5 5000.00 64 3000.00 123 950.00 182 525.00 6 1500.00 65 425.00 124 1600.00 183 850.00 7 500.00 66 500.00 125 1300.00 184 525.00 8 1300.00 67 1600.00 126 4750.00 185 425.00 9 400.00 68 6250.00 127 1700.00 186 900.00 10 950.00 69 6250.00 128 950.00 187 1700.00 11 600.00 70 1100.00 129 1200.00 188 325.00 12 450.00 71 4750.00 130 600.00 189 500.00 13 475.00 72 12000.00 131 8500.00 190 850.00 14 100.00 73 5000.00 132 2200.00 191 600.00 15 1200.00 74 2600.00 133 600.00 192 17000.00 16 180.00 75 2200.00 134 2200.00 193 47500.00 17 450.00 76 1200.00 135 3000.00 194 9500.00 18 325.00 77 350.00 136 2000.00 195 6000.00 19 200.00 78 3250.00 137 1600.00 196 14000.00 20 725.00 79 1700.00 138 900.00 197 9500.00 21 850.00 80 5000.00 139 1200.00 198 4750.00 22 2400.00 81 4000.00 140 750.00 199 5500.00 23 675.00 82 35000.00 141 5750.00 200 6500.00 24 2800.00 83 28000.00 142 4500.00 201 6000.00 25 375.00 84 5750.00 143 775.00 202 32500.00 26 2800.00 85 260000.00 144 4250.00 203 5500.00 27 1500.00 86 2000.00 145 9000.00 204 575.00 28 1200.00 87 1300.00 146 800.00 205 475.00 29 400.00 88 800.00 147 7250.00 206 1100.00 30 1000.00 89 9500.00 148 15000.00 207 775.00 31 1000.00 90 280.00 149 3750.00 208 450.00 32 4000.00 91 375.00 150 1000.00 209 1200.00 33 750.00 92 725.00 151 600.00 210 500.00 34 10000.00 93 725.00 152 10000.00 211 1100.00 35 6000.00 94 9500.00 153 700.00 212 1700.00 36 3500.00 95 1400.00 154 425.00 213 2800.00 37 3750.00 96 1100.00 155 50000.00 214 1200.00 38 3250.00 97 850.00 156 28000.00 215 900.00 39 4500.00 98 3750.00 157 1300.00 216 525.00 40 2000.00 99 775.00 158 1400.00 217 425.00 41 6750.00 100 775.00 159 13000.00 218 600.00 42 3250.00 101 3500.00 160 19000.00 219 3250.00 43 1100.00 102 2800.00 161 18000.00 220 30000.00 44 450.00 103 700.00 162 5750.00 221 6750.00 45 2000.00 104 5250.00 163 18000.00 222 5500.00 46 1800.00 105 800.00 164 12000.00 223 3000.00 47 2000.00 106 18000.00 165 1000.00 224 7500.00 48 2000.00 107 14000.00 166 500.00 225 2200.00 49 2000.00 108 8500.00 167 22000.00 226 1300.00 50 500.00 109 16000.00 168 32500.00 227 2000.00 51 1400.00 110 1500.00 169 1200.00 228 1200.00 52 8000.00 111 1100.00 170 90000.00 229 775.00 53 700.00 112 1100.00 171 32500.00 230 775.00 54 800.00 113 775.00 172 1600.00 231 525.00 55 2200.00 114 5000.00 173 40000.00 232 500.00 56 7750.00 115 1500.00 174 20000.00 233 275.00 57 4500.00 116 1200.00 175 1100.00 234 350.00 58 2600.00 117 1000.00 176 19000.00 235 4250.00 59 7750.00 118 1900.00 177 o o o o o CO 236 675.00 LOT # PRICE 237 500.00 238 300.00 239 19000.00 240 2000.00 241 13000. 00 242 325.00 243 6250.00 244 4250.00 245 7000.00 246 450.00 247 525.00 248 6250.00 249 4000.00 250 1700.00 251 1400.00 252 7250.00 253 300.00 254 475.00 255 650.00 256 475.00 257 360.00 258 950.00 259 37500.00 260 725.00 261 8000.00 262 3250.00 263 3200.00 264 3000.00 265 2400.00 266 2800.00 267 2200.00 268 3500.00 269 700.00 270 600.00 271 6000.00 272 6000.00 273 2400.00 274 2800.00 275 1900.00 276 1500.00 277 1700.00 278 600.00 279 1000.00 280 15000.00 281 6000.00 282 5250.00 283 12000.00 284 725.00 Stack’s suggests that you employ not only prices realized but also other readily available sources of information in establishing numismatic market value. *These prices represent the last price called by the auctioneer (the “hammer price”) and do not include the 15% Buyer’s Fee. STACK’S NUMISMATISTS Appraisals Auctions Retail SINCE 1935 JOHN J. FORD, Jr. COLLECTION COINS, MEDALS AND CURRENCY Part V NUMISMATIC AMERICAN HISTORY Early American Coins and Tokens: Voce Populi, Auctori Plebis, Nova Constellatio and Massachusetts Coppers United States Medals: Naval, Historical and Diplomatic Medals OCTOBER 12, 2004 123 West 57th Street • New York, NY PUBLIC AUCTION SALE FRONT COVER The flag illustrated is the “ Powell Standard,” National Standard of the Philadelphia Light Horse (First City Troop), circa 1797. Image courtesy of “The Museum of the First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry.” PUB LIC A U C T I O N SALE JOHN J. FORD, Jr. COLLECT! COINS, MEDALS AND CURRENCY Part V OCTOBER 12, 2004 Tuesday Evening, October 12, 2004 6:30 EM. Sharp Lots 1-284 October 4, 2004 October 5, 2004 October 6, 2004 October 7, 2004 Lot Viewing — New York City September 27 - October 1, 2004-By Appointment Only 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. October 8, 2004 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. October 11, 2004 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. October 12, 2004 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Lots will be available for viewing at the above times at our offices at 123 West 57th Street, N.Y, Positively no lots will be shown at Le Parker Meridien Hotel. Public Auction Sale This Public Auction Sale will be held in the Tansa Room (3rd floor) of LE PARKER MERIDIEN HOTEL, 118 West 57th Street, New York City (between 6th and 7th Avenues) Catalogued by 123 WEST 57th STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10019-2280 Telephone (212) 582-2580 FAX (212) 245-5018 or (212) 582-1946 info@stacks.com Licensed Auctioneers: Harvey G. Stack, #0522763; Lawrence Stack, #0798114. Pre-Sale Online Bidding available at www.stacks.com Harvey G. Stack Lawrence R. Stack Susan C. Stack NUMISMATIC STAFF NUMISMATIC CONSULTANT David T. Alexander Michael Hodder Scott Mitchell NUMISMATIC PRODUCTION AND GRAPHICS Vicken Yegparian Jan Eric Blamberg RECOLLECTIONS OF JOHN J. FORD, Jr. by George Fuld I have the distinction of being John Ford’s first customer at New Netherlands. My father, Melvin Fuld, and I had been dealing with Charles Wormser at New Netherlands for about a year, acquiring mostly Wash- ington medals and Civil War tokens. On one occasion in 1951 we stopped on a trip to New York at New Netherlands to see new material that Charles Wormser had mentioned to us. There, we met John, who was just finishing negotiations to join the New Netherlands Coin firm. I didn’t realize then that he was destined to be both a friend and a strong influence on my numismatic life. Years later I found out that the new material Charles Wormser had was the Brock collection from the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania. They did, indeed, have some eye popping items! John pitched right in and handled all our negotiations that day. Among other things he sold us was a famed Maris 4-C, the holed example of the Washington New Jersey copper. $550 was the price we paid. It was by far the highest amount we had ever spent for a single coin. Today it is worth in the five figures range! In our discussions, I mentioned to John that I had acquired an extremely fine 1856 Flying Eagle Cent. This interested him very much. That day, the first personal proposition he made to Dad and me was to trade the 1856 Flying Eagle (worth about $100) for a copy of the Washington-Independence medal, Baker 53. We also purchased several other items. Even though there were many more transactions between us, in the end, this first one stayed the most mem- orable. John was not even officially part of the New Netherlands firm until the week following our deal! Over the years we continued to buy much material through New Netherlands from the Alien-Brand es- tate. John, on a personal basis, started making trades of merchant tokens with me. The largest transaction I recall was $1,500 worth of merchants (at 1960 prices) for a 1792 oval Washington Peace medal that I wished. He wouldn’t consider cash, only a trade, typical of his thinking. Much of the exonumia that he acquired is now noted ex George Fuld in the descriptions of his holdings. John and Joan Ford lived in New York (Rockville Center, Long Island to be exact) and when we were in town we were privy to viewing his bomb shelter which held all his treasures. It was quite an experience! One of the most amusing incidents with John took place when my wife Doris and I attended the 1969 ANA convention in Philadelphia. Doris had never been to a coin show before and was quite surprised at the extent of it all. As we neared John’s table and we saw him wearing his famous lariat tie around his neck, he sum- moned me to him loudly in his strong New York accent. “Hey, George have I got a great deal for you.” Doris stared at him, mentally putting him in the category of a barker at a circus. She watched curiously as he showed me a small box of miscellaneous tokens. Her eyes widened. “Yours for $250, this box of twenty or so pieces,” he said. I quickly reached for my checkbook. Doris’s eyes expressed disbelief. I smiled and told her to not to worry. (All she could see were twenty ugly tokens.) I accepted the box and we went on our way. Ten minutes later I sold one token for $200 to another dealer. Doris shook her head as she finally understood. Over the years, Doris and John established a friendly relationship. However, to this day, she recalls her first meeting with the John Ford and his lariat, with a wry smile. This is only a brief picture of a few of my many experiences with John. He was a very sharp trader but I never regretted any of our transactions. Some of my most cherished memories in thirty five years in numis- matics are of dealings that John and I had together. — 2 — THE CHARLES IRA BUSHNELL COLLECTION One of the greatest of all numismatic collections was formed by New Yorker Charles Ira Bushnell. Bush- nell was a close correspondent with Sylvester Crosby and supplied him with notes, rubbings, and specimens to illustrate Crosby’s classic Early Coins of America. Bushnell attracted his fair share of dealers, all of whom tried to sell him coins and medals, with varying degrees of success. Some things Bushnell bought were mag- nificent and rare. Others were still warm from the dies. Bushnell’s collection was bought by fellow and rival collector Lorin Parmelee. Parmelee took what he wanted and consigned the rest to the Chapman brothers for sale at auction. Samuel and Henry Chapman were then both starting on their careers as coin and medal cataloguers and the Bushnell auction was their first serious named sale. Their catalog attracted much comment at the time from business friends and ene- mies and contemporary reviews of it are still fun to read. What saved the Chapmans was the fact that no matter how well or poorly they described Bushnell’s lots, the sale contained some incredible rarities like a 1787 Brasher Doubloon, a 1792 silver centered Cent, and a Baltimore Denarium. Despite the fact that Parmelee bought back many of the great lots, the auction put the Chapmans on the map despite the jealousy and backbiting they endured from their fellow dealers. John Ford loved the Bushnell collection and sale catalog because the former mirrored in many ways his own numismatic interests and because he took a professional interest in the latter. In the words to follow one can almost hear him speaking about himself in his description of how Bushnell bought his coins and medals and why he eschewed most regular U.S. Mint strikes. We are happy to reproduce here (from The Coin Collector’s Journal, March-April, 1951) one of John’s favorite articles, his own story about the Bushnell sale, written just six years after his return from the war. CATALOGU E ov to* CELEBRATED AND VALUABLE COLLECTION AMERICAN COINS AND MEDALS OF THE LATE Charles I. Bushnell, esq. CATALOGUED BY S. H. & H. CHAPMAN, PHILADELPHIA. Ajto^to sold at Aootior by MESSRS. BANGS & CO. Nos. 739 & 741 Broadway , New York, ox Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the 20lb. 21st, 22d, 23d, 24ih of June, 1882, Commencing ot ,1 o'clock:, I' it., on etch Jag. — 3 — NUMISMATIC AMERICANA: The Bushnell Sale by John J. Ford, Jr. Every decade, during the past century, has included a numismatic event of such singular importance that it continues to reverberate, influencing our aims and interests, even to this day. A particularly appropriate example of such an occurrence is the sale of the Charles I. Bushnell collection, almost seventy years ago, which heralded the beginning of a new era in American Numismatics. C. I. Bushnell died, at the age of seventy, in his New York home on Sept. 17th, 1880. He was well known as the author of two numismatic works, published in 1858 and 1859, concerning Tradesman (Merchant) and Political tokens and the First Three Business tokens of N. Y. It was a popular opinion, that Mr. Bushnell possessed an unsurpassed knowledge of Colonial and Early American coins. His collection, one of the most famous ever assembled, was unusually strong in Americana, particularly Colonial coins, Medals, Tokens, Cards and similar items. Within a few days of Mr. Bushnell’s demise, almost all of the well known dealers attempted to contact his family with ill concealed interest relative to the purchase of his estate. The collection was initially offered by the son of Mrs. B., the executrix, at the round figure of $10,000. without finding a purchaser. The opportu- nity to carefully examine the collection was difficult to obtain, but eventually, several people obtained a fair view of the coins, and as much as $7,500. was offered by a New York party. W. E. Woodward, H. P. Smith, H. C. Sampson, and other dealers, including the indefatigable Ed Frossard, all attempted to obtain the collec- tion, and at one time or another, all seemed to have an equal chance of success. The aforementioned gentlemen did not, however, stop to consider the young and extremely precocious Chapman brothers of Philadelphia. The Chapmans, Samuel Hudson and Henry Jr., were but twenty three and twenty one years of age at the time of Mr. Bushnell’s passing. Both had served an apprenticeship with dealer Haseltine and both were extremely capable young men, well versed in the mysteries of their chosen profession. As in similar situations, the bright eyed and ambitious, however earnest and sincere, were con- stantly waylaid and badgered by their contemporaries. On the other hand, the Chapmans were fully aware of their knowledge and other sterling attributes, and were not, at the time, susceptible to anything resembling modesty. Ed Frossard, a former Professor of Languages and a partially disabled veteran of the Civil War, cleverly described the success of Messrs. Chapman in regard to the acquisition of the Bushnell estate. “While the fray at the front gate of the citadel was waxing hot, the Chapman brothers, by a brilliant strategic movement, having secured an ally within, entered through the postern gate in the rear, and captured the stronghold, much to the dismay of the craft in general, for few, excepting well-informed observers, had thought of them.” What Frossard and the others did not learn until much later, was that the Chapmans had more than “An Ally Within” to aid them in obtaining the Bushnell material for sale. “The Ally Without,” in this situation, was a Boston baker by the name of Lorin G. Parmelee. Mr. Parmelee began collecting in earnest about 1865 and after obtaining the Seavey, Adams and Brevoort cabi- nets, rapidly became the foremost collector in the country, his interest becoming stronger as Bushnell’s di- minished. By 1880, he owned the finest existing collection of Colonial coins and the regular U.S. Mint issues and had, for several years, been negotiating with C. I. Bushnell for the purchase of his collection. After Mr. B.’s death, Parmelee would naturally be a most interested party, as the acquisition of a few pieces from the Bushnell estate would make his collection one of the most complete ever formed. Finally, Lorin G. Parmelee bought the Bushnell collection, at a figure still unknown, but probably over $7,500. and a little under $8,500. By this shrewd purchase, he secured at apparently high, but really nominal prices, the few rarities needed to complete his superb holdings. While the owner of the Bushnell collection was privileged to withdraw the most interesting items, Parmelee placed the entire estate into the hands of the Chapmans and requested that they catalog it for sale. Thereby, he could remain in the background and legitimately buy, against open competition, the coins neces- sary to round out his collection. Why the Chapmans were selected to sell the Bushnell estate is not clear, un- less of course, it is understood that they were said to be Nephews, by marriage, of the late Charles I. Bushnell. In course, as it always must, the word went around and the Chapmans made a statement, through Mr. Frossard, which appeared in a supplement to the March, 1882 issue of “Numisma.” — “The rumors which have been circulated, by those envious of their success, to the effect that a certain number of rarities are withdrawn by previous arrangement wit h a certain prominent Boston numismatist, who was said to be their backer in the negotiations with Mr. Bushnell’s son, are unfounded, and untrue. Every coin, medal, die and duplicate, of which there are many, will go in the sale, and everything is to be sold, without reserve to the highest bidder.” Within a very short time, the Chapmans prepared an announcement for the forth-coming sale, consisting of a circular, describing a sumptuous catalogue, corresponding in size, and forming a sequel to “Crosby’s Early Coins of America.” This was somewhat unusual, as the catalogues of the period were small affairs, of- fering brief descriptions and limited commentary, often little better than lists of the material to be sold. The announced length of the Bushnell catalogue and subsequent sale was also somewhat startling, as the total number of lots approached 3,000, and the sale itself was to be conducted for six days. The most radical de- parture however, as announced by the compilers, was an asking price of $5.00 for a limited edition of the cat- alogue with ten Phototype plates. (Actually published with twelve.) This, coupled with the 500 asked for a plain catalogue and the $1.00 for a priced one, plus the claim that the “Magnum Opus” would prove a sequel to as well as matching S. S. Crosby’s work in size, was too much for several critics, including Ed Frossard, who later observed: “It must be stated that while 50 cents is only a fair price for this large and handsomely printed catalogue, $5. is too much by half for the illustrated one. There is but one opinion among collectors on this point. The former ridiculous pretensions of the compilers to the effect that the catalogue would form a sequel to Crosby’s masterly work ‘The Early Coins of America,’ also fall to the ground. There are in fact very few Colonial coins described not found in Crosby, and as no new light is shed on his work, and the borrowed information, conveyed with painful labor, belongs to the de- scriptive rather than the historical, it can neither supplant nor explain Crosby, but rather needs the expla- nations of the latter to make itself intelligible.” The actual appearance of the catalogue itself, early in 1882, brought forth extensive comments, including several snickers, the majority of which originated with the gentlemen who had an axe to grind. The Bushnell catalogue contained 136 pages and exactly 3,000 lots. Correcting the announcement, the sale was a five day one, June 20 through 24, 1882, and as previously mentioned, the $5.00 edition contained twelve plates rather than the ten originally contemplated. Mr. Bushnell’s collection was always considered somewhat mysterious as he bought secretly and through others and generally under an assumed name. It is said that even his closest friends had little knowledge of the full extent of his cabinet. The appearance of the catalogue was eagerly looked for with interest and cu- riosity by collectors in general as the final dispersion of the collection seemed of the greatest importance. The initial criticism concerned itself with the contents of the collection. The progressive element of the pe- riod righteously bewailed the lack of U.S. Mint issues in the Bushnell cabinet. Regardless of how complete or how fine a collection Mr. B. had made of Colonials, American Medals and Store Cards, the breast-beaters wondered why he had neglected the rarities of the Silver series; the 1804, 1851 and 1852 Dollars; the 1796 and 97 Halves; the 1823 and 1827 Quarters and the rarer Dimes and Half Dimes, as well as the later Pattern issues of the U.S. Mint. The fact that Mr. Bushnell had collected for a number of years, particularly when rarities were cheap and collectors few, was oft brought to the fore, in several instances in rather derogatory terms. A comparison was made with the Mickley collection, sold in 1867, and as Frossard acidly remarked, “The Mickley cabinet still remains the best, most complete, as well as the most valuable American collection ever offered for competi- tion in this country.” Of course, the fact that Bushnell was a sincere collector and student of Americana, with little regard for the ersatz productions of the Mint, including the 1804, 1851 and 1852 Dollars, made lit- tle difference to the critics of the day. The Chapmans alone seemed to appreciate Bushnell’s lack of love for the regular Mint Silver issues. Professor Frossard’s “Numisma” appeared about five years after he took an active interest in numismatics and upon its yellowed pages we find extensive comments concerning the Chapmans especially in connection with their catalogue of the Bushnell sale. In May, 1882, No. 3 of Vol. 6, we find the following tirade, obvi- ously penned upon receipt of the catalogue. “As regards the arrangement and composition of the catalogue we remark with pleasure that the carelessness in composition, indifferent grammar, and tautology, found in the former combined productions of Messrs. Chapman, have to a certain extent been avoided in this. A good story must be well told, or it loses its charm, and it would have been a pity to see such adjectives as ‘uncircu- lated, bold and sharp impression,’ or ‘unique, exceedingly rare, and only specimen known,’ thrown in unend- ing and tiresome repetitions throughout the catalogue. It looks indeed as if a person of mature judgment, sound learning, and accustomed to utter good English, had drawn the Messrs. Chapman from the inextrica- ble tangles into which they have been wont to fall when endeavoring to make a point. If such be the case his name should have been mentioned as a collaborator, but it is quite as probable that they have simply fol- lowed the recognized authorities without referring to their lists of works, and this is the most unpleasing pe- culiarity of the catalogue, and one that cannot be overlooked. Except where it could not be avoided, the names of every American authority on coins and medals have carefully been excluded. Messrs. Chapman ap- parently prefer to leave the collectors in the dark rather than commit themselves so far as to mention a sin- gle name.” — 5 — Later, in another issue of his house organ, that of July, 1882, No. 4 of Vol. 6, immediately following the sale, Frossard became somewhat snide and altered his earlier opinions to an actual attack. “A plain and cor- rect catalogue would have reflected honor on its compilers, but Chapman Bros, apparently exhausted them- selves on the plates and mechanical part of the work, unconscious of the fact that a proper use of English terms, and intelligible construction, also general accuracy in statements made, are of greater importance in works of this kind than thick paper, new type, and gilt letters. Careless proof reading, tautology, and exhibi- tion of boastful egotism can be overlooked; hazardous, overdrawn, incorrect statements of history, rarity and conditions cannot; the latter, rather than the former, are the chief defects of the catalogue, but all combin- ing, help make the Bushnell sale catalogue, as published, unworthy of the collection it is supposed to de- scribe.” The sale itself began promptly at Three P.M., Tuesday, June 20th, 1882, in the sales rooms of Bangs & Co., 739-742 Broadway, N.Y.C. Lot #1, a Sierra Leone Penny of 1791, was purchased by Frossard and pre- sented to Edward Cogan as a souvenir of the sale. Number 2 was bought by H. G. Sampson and presented to W. H. Strobridge for a like reason. Lorin Parmelee bought in the Good Samaritan Shilling for $650. [This will be sold with Mr. Ford’s collection at a later date - ed.] as well as the cream of the Massachusetts Silver plus the Lord Baltimore Penny at $550. [Sold in Ford 2 for $241,500 - ed.], together with a large number of other desirable Colonials. The monotony of the second day of the sale was broken by a gentleman who sat at the rear of the room and loudly criticized the descriptions of the various coins. The Chapmans purchased a large number of rare Colonials, and Ed Frossard obtained the most desirable item offered, the Brasher Doubloon, for a paltry $505.00. Parmelee continued to buy odd pieces to round out his already magnificent collection. The third day’s bidding was enlivened by the presence of one Harrison, a Baltimore collector, who ob- tained the finest of the Washington medals offered. Parmelee purchased many of the first grade Washington coins while other room bidders actively fought for the balance. The fourth day’s sale was made noteworthy by the spirited interest in Early Mint Patterns almost all of which brought record prices. Parmelee again led the bidders, although the majority of the items offered were snapped up about the room. The last day of the sale, June 25th, was marked by the offering of the regular U.S. material. Friend Frossard purchased a Fine 1800 Silver Dollar and on behalf of the bidders, with the ex- ception of “Long John” (Haseltine) and the two brothers, presented it to the Auctioneer as a pocket piece. Observations made at the time of the sale are rich in human interest. The bidding generally was spirited and rapid, the Chapmans starting each lot at a round figure, and when not going up quickly enough, were said to occasionally attempt bidding against each other. Mr. Richard Cogan had charge of the coins while on exhibition, and kept a record of the sales. The New York press attended the sale, due no doubt to the exten- sive publicity it had received. Among others, the Tribune, World, Sun and Times were represented. One ob- server remarked that the man from the Times was intelligent and dressed faultlessly. Lorin G. Parmelee was the largest buyer, adding $3,800. worth of material to his famous collection. The Chapmans were next, having spent some $3,000. for stock. The other heavy buyers were Frossard ($2,500.); G. W. Cogan ($1,600.); H. G. Sampson and J. W. Haseltine. In all, the collection which probably cost Bush- nell about twice the amount, realized $13,901.00, and was seemingly very profitable to Mr. Parmelee. All in all, it was a lively and successful sale, the average daily attendance being about twenty five, includ- ing buyers and spectators. Among others present, were Prof. Anthon, Ed Cogan, Sr., Daniel Parish, Jr., W. H. Strobridge, W. Poillon, Wm. S. Appleton, Parmelee, F. W. Doughty, G. W. Cogan, Lyman H. Low, Charles Steigerwalt, H. P. Smith, Major Nicolls, J. W. Scott and Dave Proskey, all famous names in the glorious his- tory of American numismatics. It is said that humorous little incidents and remarks between the auctioneer, Mr. Merwin, and the audi- ence, relieved the general monotony and kept everybody in a good humor. A reflection upon the times is con- tained in a comment made earlier by one of the catalogues for Bangs & Co. “Patent portable spittoons cost only 50^ apiece, and it costs $5.00 to have the auction rooms on Broadway scrubbed after each coin sale. Not being interested in the sale of the patent article, we only throw out the suggestion as a friendly hint.” f rossard, while generally caustic on the subject of the Bushnell catalogue and its youthful compilers, made a few references which seem decidedly complimentary: “One feature for which Messrs. Chapman deserve praise is the care they appear to have exercised in pointing out all coins which our numismatic authorities have since the Mickley sale discovered to be spurious; in all such cases they boldly announce the fact, no matter what the cost may have been to Mr. Bushnell. In questions of authenticity therefore, we grant them the merit of having been painstaking, intelligent and honest.” 6 However, the Professor, in future issues of “Numisma” continued to tear into the Chapmans and seemed to delight in heaping abuse upon the Bushnell sale. He was joined by W. E. Woodward, who, in his catalogue of the Montreal sale, July 1882, made a scathing attack upon the two brothers. After questioning the origin of several lots, Woodward remarked as follows: “There are many other pieces in this celebrated collection around which a veil of mystery has long been thrown, which, if they could be illuminated by the light of truth, would have their lofty pretensions sadly lowered-notwithstanding ‘Our opinion,’ which throughout the catalogue is apparently regarded by the young gentlemen who compiled it, as amply sufficient to settle any mooted question in American numismatics.” Those among us who follow every current sale of this generation with unyielding enthusiasm, must won- der at the obvious freedom enjoyed by our forefathers. The publication in a numismatic journal today of sim- ilar gross indignities would, in effect, be responsible for a catastrophe of no little magnitude. In an effort to completely overshadow the earlier criticism of his own and of others, Frossard, in a final at- tack, listed in detail every lot in the Bushnell sale that he could find fault with. Actually, many of these com- ments are quite amusing and should be followed carefully by every owner of the Bushnell catalogue. They indicate obvious dissatisfaction for a work that is currently valued by many leading authorities as a standard reference. A LITTLE DRY READING FOR THE ANTIQUARIES Nos. 14, 16 and 17; Counterfeits. 145. Bogus and modern; why did not Bushnell say whence he obtained the piece? If from England some one must have sold it to him; but the piece is known to be a fraud from the fact that the man who bought Hub No. 2844, said “that he bought the hub because he had the piece.” 176. Crosby right; bogus. 186 and 187. Nothing to do with Florida and 188 a Spanish medal. 241. Counterfeit. 247. More than 1 dozen known; probably a restrike. 266. Counterfeit casting. 289 and 1544. “Knawing” is good. 291. “It is our opinion.” For shure. 337. W. E. Woodward has had a dozen. 349. “Two or three known.” -Bosh. 362. “Cast copper silver plated. ” -Original. 537. Was there ever a Colburn sale? 608. “We do not think so.” Oh! Fountain of wisdom! Deep well of knowledge! 620. Cast not stamped. 653. “One of the most,” etc .-Bosh. 712 and 715. More bosh. 740. “Very rare and the rarest variety.” Good English. 775. Counterfeit of the period. 778. “Celebrated;” who celebrates it? 878, 887, 896. “Five known,” “Five known,” “Three known,” how known and whence did the antiquaries derive this bit of gossip? 920. Too much bosh! Crosby’s original statement correct. — 7 — 1005. Edge engrailed (with a chisel). 1017, ’26, ’38, ’52, ’64, ’69, ’81, ’90, 1107, ’14, ’16, ’21; none silver. 1212. “Imploring of him;” good Irish. Poor English. 1217 and ’35. What is “A band of clouds?” 1244. A marvelous discovery and statement. This piece was lately bought by Scott & Co. at $7.50. Query. How did it get in the Bushnell sale? 1265 and 1303. “Rays diverting,” the description is diverting, the rays diverge. 1289. “Licking the calf,” and “Minding the baby;” quite classical. 1335 and 1343. Electrotypes. 1375. Marvin 705; a mule. 1400. “Sunk disk” is good. 1553, ’745, ’78 and ’79. Electrotypes. 1605. “This is one,” etc.; Bosh. 1616. “medal awarded Congress;” when? 1660. W.E.W. has the dies. 1748, ’49, ’51. “Arctic” “Artie;” bound to have the spelling correct. 1764. U.S. Mint at Phila., which has been cleaned in acid; when? 1848. Electrotype. 1843, 1929, ’67. What Express? Adams? 1976 and ’82. And it is Alex. Hamilton? 2183. “Similar but very different;” Clear as mud. 2205 and ’06. “Beath” and “Uncirbulated” are good. 2230. Not Silver. 2279, and ’82. “sewn” and “Sewen” of course not sewed. 2617. “We believe,” “We had,” “We sold,” “We have,” By the way, quite a number of the Cents were polished with stove blacking; all the ’94s, 1814, ’27, etc.; none of the 1794 cents were struck as proofs, and they rated at from very good to uncirculated; all the fine silver medals had been cleaned. 2635, etc. “Variety to last;” to, good. Many of the half dollars did not belong to Bushnell’s collection. “Bless my heart,” innocently exclaimed Major Nicolls, suddenly looking up from his catalogue, “Why, I never knew I had so many uniques in my col- lection! Auct. “Three cents, going at three cents to Proskey.” Pr. “No Sir, I did not bid on these.” Auct. “Beg pardon, I thought it was yours from the size of the bid.” Auct. (To H.G.S.) “No Sir, you can’t have that Silly head cent, that belongs in Philadelphia.” Sampson. “How about the Booby head?” Auct. “That goes there too, it makes up the pair.” Smith. (Loud) “That’s bogus.” Chapman. (Sotte voce) “Shut up Smith.” I Ford continues! Undoubtedly the Chapmans ably weathered the blistering and abusive commentary heaped upon them during their formative years. The catalog of the Bushnell collection was the first of twenty one other large size sale catalogs. I he Bushnell catalog announced the beginning of an era. It was the first of the widely publicized “Name” sales and was the first catalog to be really dressed up with special type, expensive paper and extensive illus- trations. — 8 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS Lot No. 15 NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS No. 32 Lot No. 34 All coins on this plate are shown enlarged. — 9 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS There is no evidence of any substance that these are American colonial coins. Crosby did not include them. Jerry Zelinka noted that they have been sold in U.S. auctions as colonials since the 1870’s, so habit is really their only claim on the early American series. Similarly, there is no evidence that the letter “P” on the obverse of a few varieties stands for “Pretender”, “Provost”, “Prince”, “Princeps”, “Penny”, or “Prussia”. The inscription “Voce Populi” (“At the call of the people”) simply means the issue pretended it was struck because the people needed it, not that the Irish demanded home rule. In a letter to the cataloguer dated November 19, 1986, numismatic historian Colm Gallagher noted that the dominant copper coin in 18th c. urban Ireland was the “Rap”. Periodically, the quality of these local lightweight coppers rose or fell and in 1760 it fell. John Roche, a respectable Dublin maker of buttons and gilt militaria, cashed in on the fall by issuing the Voce Populi coppers. Local newspapers wrote at the time that makers of the “Raps” would have to make their coins as heavy and as well as those made by the issuers of the Voce Populis. The “Rap- pers” did not, resulting in cries for their suppression and a gun fight between the police and the counterfeiters. When Roche died in 1760 the papers noted him as “the maker of the counters called VOCE POPULI which pass for halfpence in this city.” Later, in November, 1760 Dublin authorities seized Roche’s dies and press. The coinage comes in two sizes: Farthing and Halfpenny. The former are rarer. The “P” marked coins are heav- ier than the non-P ones and are generally close to the weights of contemporary George II Irish halfpence. These two groups are quite distinct by weight but both appear to have been made in the same workshop. It is possible that the heavier coins were struck first, the lighter ones following. This might explain why coiner Roche’s opera- tion was left alone by the authorities at first, but later shut down following his death. The standard reference to the series is Jerry Zelinka’s “The Enigmatic Voce Populi Halfpenny of 1760” (pub- lished in The Colonial Newsletter, October 1976, seq. pp. 556-565), which supplements Philip Nelson’s earlier The Coinage of Ireland in Copper, Tin and Pewter (1905). The finest collections of Voce Populi coppers sold in recent memory were the 1987 Taylor and 1988 Norweb sales. Taylor’s included many of the coins Zelinka plated in 1976. Norweb’s included outstanding quality pieces bought from many sources. Neither is a match, overall, for Ford’s. I’he cataloguer expresses his appreciation to Stan Stephens for his notes on rarity and condition that may be found throughout this section of the sale. 1 he Ford Collection of Voce Populi coppers was started by Hillyer Ryder late in the 19th c. Three of the pieces included have pedigrees to purchases Ryder made from Baldwin & Sons in the early 1920’s. Others reach back to American sales of the 1920 s. Frederick Boyd bought the Ryder Collection intact from Wayte Raymond and appar- ently considered the Voce Populi portion of it complete, since he added nothing. Mr. Ford followed Boyd’s example. I he collection to follow, therefore, would be entirely familiar to Ryder as it is essentially as he left it. Why he did not include a Small Letters Farthing when Nelson knew of the variety is perhaps explained by the great rarity of the piece. 10 — Public Auction Sale TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 12, 2004 6:30 P.M. SHARP LOTS 1 - 284 IMPORTANT NOTICE In accordance with the terms of sale, each successful bidder also agrees to pay a buyer’s charge of fifteen percent (15%) of the winning bid recognized by the auctioneer. THE JOHN J. FORD, Jr. COLLECTION PART 5 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS SCARCE 1760 VOCE POPULI FARTHING Lot No. 1 1 1760 Voce Populi Farthing. Large Letters. Extremely Fine. Scarce. Nelson 1, Breen 234. 48.2 gns. 20.9 mm. Thin planchet. Rich, even brown on the reverse with some light mottling in places on the obverse. Obverse surface quite smooth to the naked eye; reverse a trifle rougher, particularly in the left field. Rim rough at lower left. Typical obverse clashing, visible at the upper right and lower left, with a small raised mark in the lower right field usually seen on these. Reverse state seems per- fect. Well centered on both sides, with nearly complete borders of denticles around each rim. Struck on a flan cut from a rolled strip, with a planchet cutter lip visible on the obverse at 2:00. The farthings were not included in Zelinka’s listings of the series and there were none in the Taylor sale (1987) that included Zelinka’s own collection of the series. Ex Tom Elder’s 44th Sale (October 12, 1910, lot 495); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 2 Lot No. 3 2 1760 Voce Populi Farthing. Large Letters. Extremely Fine. Scarce. N.l, Br.234. 42.6 gns. 20.9 mm. Thin planchet. A sec- ond. Nice, deep olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse fields just microgranular; reverse rougher, particularly in the center where the die did not fill sufficiently to make a sharp strike. Obverse striated in appearance, probably from the strip roller. Typ- ical clash marks on the obverse at upper and lower right, others more faintly at upper left. Reverse slightly off center, to the bottom, with just the bases of the date numerals running off the flan. Obverse somewhat off center, to the top. with ‘PO’ touch- ing the edge. Also struck from a rolled strip. Ex Baldwin & Sons, Ltd. in November 1921; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 3 1760 Voce Populi Farthing. Large Letters. Choice Very Fine. N.l, Br.234. 71.6 gns. 20.6 mm. Thick planchet. Rare. Pleasing, light olive tan and brown in color. Obverse surface microgranular; reverse a trifle rougher as expected. Typical ob- verse state, the die clashed at upper and lower right. Reverse soft in the center. Struck on a clipped flan, the planchets for these were cut from rolled strip. Small obverse rim dent at about 5:30. Ex Tom Elder’s 40th Sale (April 23, 1910, lot 954); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 11 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS RARE BOYISH HEAD HALFPENNY Lot No. 4 4 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Boyish Head. Very Fine. Rare. Zelinka 1-A, N.l. 115.0 gns. 27.1 mm. Pale gray brown in color on both sides. Surfaces microgranular, particularly on the reverse. Some traces of old and apparently inac- tive verdigris on the obverse. Fairly well centered on both sides, tight at the right on the obverse and the top on the re- verse. A couple of very minor reverse rim tics are noted. Nicer than the Norweb coin although not as well centered on the back. Not quite as sharp as the Zelinka-Taylor coin. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. THE FINEST SEEN OLDER HEAD HALFPENNY Lot No. 5 5 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Older Head. Uncirculated, red and brown. Z.2-A, N.4. 112.0 gns. 26.0 mm. Small flan, called “Nelson 4A” by Boyd. An absolutely amazing specimen. The obverse is toned in a rich pale mahogany and tan. The reverse is a lighter golden tan in color. The surfaces are microgranular on both sides but not disturbingly so. Well struck in the centers, with some details showing on Liberty’s waist and most of the curl detail in the center of the obverse present and sharp. Traces of original mint red color can be seen on the tops and around other portions of most letters on both sides. Rim somewhat ragged at the top of the obverse, denticles missing there. Fairly well centered, the obverse nearly perfectly so, the reverse off to the bottom, bases of first and last numerals in the date run off the flan. The finest seen. Nicer than the Norweb:3408 coin, better centered on the front (although not on the back) and with mint red color lacking from that coin. Far superior to the Taylor coin. (SEE COLOR PLATE ) Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 12 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS SHARP OLDER HEAD HALFPENNY Lot No. 6 6 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Older Head. Choice About Uncirculated. Z.2-A, N.4. A second. 108.2 gns. 28.1 mm. Normal sized flan. Very attractive dark olive green and brown in color. Obverse and reverse surfaces just microgranular and certainly not disturbingly so. Broad strike with a full border of denticles on the obverse and all reverse letters and date numerals fully on the flan. Sharp centers as expected from such a strong strike. There are faint traces of original mint lustre visible in places in the fields. A couple of minor reverse rim tics and a bump are noted. A tad sharper than Norweb:3408. Some of these Z.2-A’s were struck from a misaligned obverse that slammed into the planchet with such force that metal was forced up and around the die (the Norweb coin is another example). Others were not (the preceding and the next lot are others). Why is a mystery. Ex H illy er Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. A THIRD OLDER HEAD HALFPENNY Lot No. 7 7 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Older Head. Extremely Fine. Z.2-A, N.4. 110.0 gns. A third. 26.0 mm. Small flan. Pale golden tan in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces a trifle rough in places, granular elsewhere. Fairly well centered on the obverse as expected; reverse much tighter with the tops of most letters at or running off the edge. Some minor rim dis- turbances noted on the reverse. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. OUTSTANDING LONG NOSE HALFPENNY Lot No. 8 8 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Long Nose. Choice Extremely Fine. Very scarce. Z.3-C, N.8. 111.4 gns. 27.0 mm. Very pleasing olive green and brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces appear fairly smooth and hard to the naked eye. Well struck in the centers, particularly for the grade. Obverse slightly off center to the lower left but the border is visible around most of this side of the coin; reverse slightly off to the upper left, tops of ‘BER’ touch or run off the edge. Shallow rim clip on the obverse at about 7:00, more noticeable on the reverse at 11:00. Outstanding example, finer than both the Norweb and Taylor coins (the latter being the Zelinka plate coin). Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 13 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS Lot No. 9 9 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Long Nose. Choice Very Fine. Very scarce. Z.3-C, N.8. 114.5 gns. 26.5 mm. A second exam- ple. Dark olive brown and green on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces smooth in most places, the latter’s rough at the upper left. Well centered on the obverse; reverse off to the top as usual. Some traces of verdigris visible in the letters on the right side of the obverse. About on a par with the Norweb coin. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. SUPERIOR SQUARE HEAD HALFPENNY Lot No. 1 0 10 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. About Uncirculated. Z.4-B, N.2. Normal tail on 6 in date. 75.3 gns. 27.2 mm. Thin flan. Pale tan and orange-brown in color. Obverse and reverse fields just microgranular, centers much rougher and nearly fully unstruck (as usual). Struck on a much thinner flan than expected (note the weight) resulting in a near total failure of metal flow into the centers of the dies. Both dies very well centered, however, with a full border showing around the obverse and the reverse being soft only at the lower left due principally to failure of metal flow there. Dramatically softly struck in the centers, as usual (see Norweb’s, a near-Gem with mint red that was also softly struck). Technically finer than the Zelinka-Taylor coin and close to Norweb’s for overall quality. Described on the round collec- tor’s ticket accompanying the lot as “Uplifted Face” and “as struck but thin flan.” Ex Baldwin & Sons, Ltd. in November 1921; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 1 1 Lot No. 12 11 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. Extremely Fine. Z.4-B, N.2. Normal tail on 6 in date. A second. 104.3 gns. 27.3 mm. Normal thickness flan. Pale brown in color on both sides. Obverse surface quite rough in places, reverse fields smoother. Considerable, apparently active verdigris visible on both sides. Less softly struck in the centers than usually seen. Ex Baldwin & Sons, Ltd. in November 1921; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 12 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. Choice Very Fine. Z.4-B, N.2. Normal tail on 6 in date. A third. 104.8 gns. 27.4 mm. Normal thickness flan. Pale brown in color on both sides. Obverse surface mostly smooth and hard to the naked eye, with just traces of light granularity at the top. Reverse much rougher in places. Considerable active verdigris visible on that side. Well centered. Fairly typical soft strike in the centers. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F ( Boyd. 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS Lot No. 13 13 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. Nearly Very Fine. Z.5-D, N.6. Normal date. 104.6 gns. 28.0 mm. Very pale golden brown on the obverse, the reverse with a couple areas darker in color. Surfaces granular in places, particularly on the re- verse. Centers very soft, barely struck up at all. Obverse slightly off to the lower left; reverse much better centered, somewhat off to the upper left with an extra border of metal visible around the right side. Small obverse rim bump at the lower left. Not as sharp as either the Zelinka-Taylor or the Norweb coin but not as rough looking as those. Zelinka 4-A (Nelson 5) is extremely rare (our friend Stan Stephens writes that is “seems to be nonexistent”). It was missing from the Taylor (i.e., Zelinka’s own) and Norweb Collections and is not represented here. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 14 14 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. Very rough Fine. Z.5-D, N.6. Normal date. 110.6 gns. 27.5 mm. A second. Dark gray brown in color. Obverse surface very rough, pitted, rim dented at the upper left and lower right. Reverse not quite so rough save at the top, better centered, edge dent visible at upper right. Rim tics and dents. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. STERN BUST HALFPENNY Lot No. 15 15 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Stern Bust. About Uncirculated. Z.6-C, N.9. 92.9 gns. 26.4 mm. Both sides are a light mahogany in the fields, somewhat paler in the centers. Obverse and reverse surfaces just microgranular. Centers quite soft and rougher in appearance. Well centered on both sides, the obverse about perfect, the reverse just tight at the tops of most letters, date numerals full. Reverse die clearly failing. Full reverse legend, the tops of the letters touch or are close to the edge, fuller than Norweb:3413 and Taylor:2033, not as full as the one ex Don Mituzas at 100.5 gns. (seen Feb- ruary 23, 1991). Technically on a par with the Norweb coin and higher in grade than the Zelinka-Taylor piece, but not as sharp as either of those. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 15 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS Lot No. 16 16 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Stern Bust. About Very Fine. Z.6-C, N.9. 99.0 gns. 25.6 mm. A second example. Ruddy brown obverse, golden brown on the reverse with some patches of pale purple around the periphery. Both surfaces lightly gran- ular in appearance. A couple of obverse rim dents, reverse rim bent at the upper left between ‘BE’. Reverse very tight on the flan, all letters and numerals in the date run off the flan. Typical reverse lettering, tops running off the flan. Reverse rim dents. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 1 7 17 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. VOOE. Choice Very Fine. Somewhat scarce. Z.7-E, N.3. 107.5 gns. 26.2 mm. Pale golden brown in color on both sides with some light green iridescence on the back. Obverse and reverse surfaces just microgranular. Obverse fairly well centered and sharply struck although the center is soft because of insufficient metal flow into the die there. Reverse well centered with a partial border of denticles visible at the bottom. A couple of obverse rim disturbances are noted. Early obverse state, the die break in the mouth of ‘C’ in VOCE just beginning to close to form the VOOE variety. One of these is known with a brass anti-counterfeiting splash like the earlier St. Patrick’s farthings. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 18 18 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. VOOE. Choice Very Fine. Somewhat scarce. Z.7-E, N.3. 108.3 gns. 25.9 mm. A second. Pleas- ing pale olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse surface mostly smooth and hard to the naked eye. Reverse rougher, particu- larly in the center. Obverse slightly off to the bottom, denticles missing there; reverse also off to the bottom, base of date numerals touch or run off the edge. Small obverse rim dent at 5:30. Later obverse die state, the break in the mouth of ‘C’ in VOCE fully closed forming the VOOE variety. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 19 19 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. VOOE. Very Fine. Somewhat scarce. Z.7-E, N.3. 116.3 gns. 25.8 mm. A third. Dark golden brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surface condition somewhat uncertain but apparently granular, rougher on the back. Obverse well centered; reverse off to the upper left with extra metal remaining at the lower right and portions of a planchet cutter lip visible there. Considerable, active verdigris on both sides. Later obverse die state as the preceding, full break in ‘C’ forming the VOOE variety. These arc not as rare as once thought. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd 16 - 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS Lot No. 20 20 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Square Head. Very Fine. Z.8-F, N.7. 123.0 gns. 27.6 mm. Nice light olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse surface just lightly granular in places; reverse rougher particularly in the center. Both sides well centered, the obverse nearly perfectly so, the reverse a little off to the lower left. Bases of two of the date numerals seem to run to the edge or off the flan. Some obverse and reverse rim disturbances are noted. A fairly decent example of a tough variety, missing, for example, from the Norweb Collection. The Zelinka-Taylor coin is sharper, but this one seems less rough. Some rim tics. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. AN OUTSTANDING VOCE POPULI TYPE COIN Lot No. 21 21 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. Long Head. Choice Extremely Fine, nearly About Uncirculated. Somewhat scarce. Z.13-K, N.10. 130.8 gns. 28.3 mm. Attractive pale olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces granu- lar in appearance but not disturbingly so. Obverse slightly off to the left; reverse about perfectly placed. Both sides seem to be well struck for this variety. Outstanding for type, finer than both the Zelinka-Taylor and Norweb coins. Some old scratches both sides. Ex Tom Elder’s 169th Sale (February 12, 1920, lot 233); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 22 Lot No. 23 22 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. P Below Bust. Choice Extremely Fine, if not slightly finer. Z.14-L, N.ll. 121.9 gns. 27.6 mm. A nice example, far better than the Zelinka-Taylor coin and a rival to the outstanding Norweb coin bought by an astute NJ collector. Dark olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces rough and somewhat granular, but not dis- turbingly so. Very sharp, with considerable detail visible in the centers on both sides. Obverse slightly off to the left, ‘P’ below bust partially off the flan; reverse slightly off to the upper left, date numerals run to or off the edge. One is known with an en- grailed edge. Ex George H. Earle Collection (Henry Chapman, June 25, 1912, lot 1984); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 23 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. P Below Bust. Choice Very Fine. Z.14-M, N.13. 143.2 gns. 27.0 mm. Nice light olive green and brown in color. Obverse and reverse surfaces just microgranular. Both sides fairly well centered. Planchet cutter clip on the obverse at about 6:00. Lightly scratched around the rims on both sides. Ex George H. Earle Collection (Henry Chapman, June 25, 1912, lot 1983); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 17 — 1760 VOCE POPULI COPPERS AN EXCELLENT VOCE POPULI TYPE COIN ( Enlarged ) Lot No. 24 (Enlarged) 24 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. P Before Face. About Uncirculated. Z.15-N, N.12. 161.3 gns. 28.4 mm. Light golden brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces microgranular, not disturbingly so. Well struck in the centers with some detail visible in the leaves of the wreath on the obverse and even on portions of Hibernia’s face on the reverse. Nearly perfectly centered on both sides, the obverse with a near complete border of denticles, the reverse just slightly tight at the upper right. Fully on the flan. Excellent quality for type, nicer to this cataloger’s eye than the Zelinka-Taylor coin and the three specimens in the Norweb sale. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 25 25 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. P Before Face. Very Fine. Z.15-N, N.12. 143.2 gns. 28.2 mm. A second. Light and darker brown combination particularly on the obverse. Both surfaces lightly granular, the reverse particularly. Obverse flawed at top, some scratches visible. Obverse well centered, just a little tight at the upper right; reverse much tighter at upper right, ‘NIA’ in legend nearly fully off the flan. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. RARE P BELOW BUST HALFPENNY One of the Nicest Seen Lot No. 26 26 1760 Voce Populi Halfpenny. P Below Bust. Choice Extremely Fine. Z.16-0, N.14. Scarce. 117.1 gns. 27.6 mm. A lovely example, one of the nicest seen. Very pleasing pale golden brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces just microgranular in appearance, a few patches of roughness confined principally to the rims. Fairly well struck in the centers although the striking pressure seems to have been too soft to allow for full metal into the dies. Obverse a little off center to the top but all letters in the legend on this side are fully on the flan; reverse a little tight to the left, tops of I IIBER run to or just off the edge, bases of date numerals also, last digit nearly fully gone. Finer than Nor- web:3421 and both I ay lor coins (lots 2041, the Zelinka plate coin, and 2042). Struck on either a cast or very poorly pre- pared rolled flan. Ex llillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd 18 — 1787 AUCT0R1 PLEBIS COPPERS 1787 AUCTORI PLEBIS COPPERS There is no real evidence other than anecdotal or stylistic that these were struck for American circulation or ever circu- lated here. The fact that the obverse type is a copy of a 1787 draped bust Connecticut copper and the legend AUCTORI PLEBIS resembles the Connecticut’s AUCTORI CONNEC is all that has given them a place in early American numismat- ics. Tom Elder was fond of telling auction audiences that he found Auctori Plebis tokens in circulation in Pennsylvania when he was a boy but it is hard to know what to make of such a story. According to Crosby, who considered them to be English merchant’s tokens, the earliest reference to the Auctori Plebis token is found in a 1796 English numismatic publication, The Virtuoso’s Companion. Published at the height of the Con- der token collecting craze in England, this seems to suggest the Auctori Plebis tokens were collectibles along with Kemp- son’s and Spence’s series although the author does call the piece American (what other country of the time was ruled by the authority of the people?). The best that can be said of these is that they are one of the “orphans” of early American numismatics, like the Georgius Triumpho, which look like they should have circulated here but for which there is no sure direction home. There is one regular die pair. The reverse broke early in its life and almost all known specimens show a break arching over Britannia’s head. The obverse was cut very shallowly in the die and struck pieces are almost always soft on the front. There is a series of related pieces that advanced collectors like to include. These feature different style obverse busts and different reverse legends and dates and are generally quite rare. The whole series was described and numbered by the cataloguer in the Norweb II (1988) sale. SUPERB AUCTORI PLEBIS TYPE COIN Lot No. 27 27 1787 Auctori Plebis Copper. Standard type. Choice About Uncirculated. Hodder 1. Breen 1147. 112.3 gns. 27.3 mm. Superb type quality, far finer than both Norweb coins. Light brown in color on both sides. Obverse and re- verse surfaces just microgranular but not disturbingly so. Obverse slightly tight, the obverse to the upper right, the re- verse around the top and right, bases of the date numerals off the flan. There are traces of very faded mint color visible in places around ‘CTOR’ on the obverse. Overall, this is a superb example of this issue. Usual reverse die break. Ex “Chapman, ” Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 19 — 1787 AUCTORI PLEBIS COPPERS Lot No. 28 28 1787 Auctori Plebis Copper. Standard type. Choice Extremely Fine. H.l. Br.1147. 114.0 gns. 27.1 mm. A second. Both sides are toned in a nice, rich olive brown color. The obverse and reverse surfaces are smooth and hard to the naked eye, show just microgranularity under magnification. Typically centered, the obverse near perfect, the reverse tight at the top, bases of date numerals off the flan. Earlier reverse date than usually seen, the arching break from Britannia’s head to the globe here is visible but is faint. Nicer than either of the Norweb coins. Earlier reverse die state than the preceding’s. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 29 29 1787 Auctori Plebis Copper. Standard type. Choice Very Fine. H.l. Br.1147. 109.3 gns. 26.9 mm. A third. Pale brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces somewhat rougher than usually seen on these. Typical centering problem on the reverse, as already noted. Struck from a much later state of the reverse, the arching break here very thick and bold. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 30 30 173366 Auctori Plebis Copper. Hispaniola type. Choice Very Fine. Rare. H.3. Br. 1148. 98.4 gns. 26.9 mm. Both sides are toned a rich deep brown. Obverse and reverse surfaces microgranular to the naked eye. Reverse sharpness quite indistinct as usual and as Ryder noted on his collector’s ticket included with this lot, “Light impression as all are. Rare.” There are one or two very tiny rim tics noted on both sides. Much nicer than the Norweb:2449 example, not quite up to the specimens in Rosa Americana 10 and 13. This reverse type is mentioned by Crosby on p.343. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 31 31 Undated Auctori Plebis Copper. Uniface type. Very Fine. Rare. H.6. Br.l 152. 101.6 gns. 26.9 mm. Struck on the obverse only. Both sides are dark olive brown, nearly gray-brown in color. The obverse surface is microgranular everywhere, a little rough at the left; the unstruck reverse is granular, lightly pitted in the center. The softness in the obverse strike is fairly typical for this variety. Nicer than both Norweh:2448 and Garrett:1514. This uniface type is also mentioned in Crosby on p.343. Ex Henry Chapman on March I, 1901: Hiller Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. - 20 — 1760 VOCE POPULI HALFPENNY CHOICE 1783 NOVA CONSTELLATIO OUTSTANDING 1785 NOVA CONSTELLATIO this plate are shown enlarged. — 21 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS THE 1783, 1785 and 1786 NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS There are two schools of thought about the origin of the Nova Constellatio copper coinage. Relying on a partial tran- script of a British newspaper notice he found in Charles Bushnell’s manuscript notes about colonials, Sylvester Crosby wrote in 1875 that these were made in Birmingham, England using dies engraved by one of the Wyons. Crosby’s state- ment of origin was adopted by almost every other writer on colonials and it is the common wisdom today. A tiny handful of numismatists have questioned the credibility of Crosby’s creation story, pointing out that its elements are either histor- ically wrong at worst or unsupported by documentary or numismatic fact at best. The cataloguer has been the principal (and near solitary) modern contrarian. Mr. Ford clipped and filed away the following commentary penned by a better nu- mismatist than most, whose opinion is the more worthy of consideration for the infrequency with which it is expressed. Preparing to describe the Large Cents for the catalog of the April 22, 1904 New York Coin and Stamp Company’s auc- tion, David Proskey wrote “In placing the ‘Nova Constellatio’ Cents at the head of the series, I do so after a thorough ex- amination and weighing of the supposed evidence of Mr. Bushnell as quoted by Mr. Crosby. No English die work bears any resemblance to anything found on these Cents. British public sentiment in 1783 would not have tolerated the assis- tance in supplying a good currency to the successful Revolutionists. The work, lettering, figures and coinage all bear evi- dence of their American origin, as well as Governmental supervision, even if they were produced by contract, as were the ‘Fugios’. Their similarity to the coins designed and projected by Robt. Morris, of this date, would certainly make it impos- sible for a foreign producer to fill a large order and deliver it by the snail-like processes then in vogue and have designs so uniform in style with the private coiners of America, as shown by other well-known experimental coins. These surely are to be known as the first United States coins.” Whatever the true origins of the coinage, whether struck in Philadelphia in Robert Morris’ Mint of North America or in a Birmingham shop by a random Wyon, the Nova Constellatio coppers have been extremely popular coins with collectors of colonials by type. There are more than enough to go around for that purpose. By contrast, there are far fewer variety collectors of Novas at present but that has been changing and the movement should accelerate now that the Ford Collec- tion has been published. Until now, the standard attribution guide to the series was in Crosby’s 1875 Early Coins of America and while that book listed the varieties, it did not plate them all. In 1995 Rod Widok and Tony Carlotto collaborated on a photographic plate that showed each regular variety (including the 1786) enlarged and had a handy attribution guide printed on the back. Eight years later, Widok published lists of auction appearances of Novas by variety that helped establish a rough sense of what was out there and how they graded. These guides v/ere published in limited quantities and were distributed to those who knew to ask for them, so they have had little impact outside the established colonial collecting fraternity. The cataloguer has benefitted considerably from Rod’s study and he hopes that the wide appeal of the Ford catalogues will help bring Rod’s contribution before a larger audience and thereby inspire others to collect the earliest dated coinage that is engraved with ‘US’. PLEASING CROSBY 1-A 1783 NOVA CONSTELLATIO Lot No. 32 32 1783 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Small US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Extremely Fine to About Uncirculated. Crosby 1-A. 139.6 gns. 28.2 mm. Both the obverse and reverse are deep brown in the fields, lighter brown with some very faded mint color visible in the protected areas. Both surfaces just microgranular and appear smooth and hard to the naked eye. Obverse slightly off center, reverse much better placed with even the date numerals on the flan. Typical ob- verse state, this die had clashed severely and there are raised denticles visible below ‘ATIO’. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex F.S. Werner on May 2, 1974. 22 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS Lot No. 33 33 1783 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Small US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Very Fine. Cr.l-A. 126.6 gns. 28.3 mm. A second. Pale olive brown and gold in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces microgranular, the latter a bit rougher in appearance. Centering on both sides just about as seen on the piece in the preceding lot. A few minor obverse and reverse rim tics are noted. Ex Sampson Collection (Tom Elder. May 13, 1932, lot number unrecorded); F.C.C. Boyd. CHOICE Cr.2-B 1783 NOVA One of the Finest Seen (Enlarged) Lot No. 34 (Enlarged) 34 1783 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Small US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Uncirculated. Cr.2-B. 138.7 gns. 27.8 mm. A lovely example and one of the finest seen. In fact, graded higher than every example listed by Rod Widok in April, 2003 save one. Both the obverse and reverse are toned in a pale golden brown shade. There are traces of faded mint color in the protected areas on both sides, particularly in the centers and on the reverse around the letters and date nu- merals. The surfaces appear microgranular to the naked eye but not disturbingly so. Very sharply struck, the All-Seeing Eye in the center of the obverse bold, the wreath on the reverse showing some internal detail. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd; earlier, possibly ex Dr. Hall’s collection. ANOTHER CHOICE Cr.2-B 1783 NOVA (Enlarged) Lot No. 35 ( Enlarged ) 35 1783 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Small US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Uncirculated. Cr.2-B. 136.1 gns. 27.0 mm. A second. One of the finest seen and like the last, graded higher than all but one of the specimens listed by Rod Widok in April, 2003. Both the obverse and reverse of this piece are toned a pale olive brown shade. The surfaces ap- pear smooth and hard to the naked eye, show some microgranularity under magnification. Very nicely centered and sharply struck on both sides. An attractive example. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex Lyman Low’s sale of January 21, 1908, lot 283; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 23 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS Lot No. 36 36 1783 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Small US. CONSTELLATIO. Uncirculated. Cr.2-B. 119.6 gns. 27.4 mm. A third, superior specimen, nicer than the Roper coin and nearly every other one seen in the past ten years. Very pleasing light gold and ruddy brown on the obverse, light olive green on the reverse. Obverse and reverse surfaces smooth, hard, and with some light gloss. About perfectly centered on both sides. Obverse center soft, All-Seeing Eye somewhat indistinct, center of the reverse a trifle weak. Ex James T. Callender Collection (Lyman Low, December 21, 1898, lot number unrecorded); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 37 37 1783 Nova Constellatio. Blunt rays. Small US. CONSTELATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.3-C. 113.1 gns. 27.3 mm. One of the better ones sold in recent years. Very nice light ruddy brown obverse, golden brown reverse. Obverse surface appears a trifle rough to the naked eye, reverse much smoother and harder. Both sides near perfectly centered, the reverse just a little tight at the left. Ex Lorin G. Parmelee Collection (New York Coin & Stamp Co., June 26, 1890, first of two in lot 586); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 38 38 1783 Nova Constellatio. Blunt rays. Small US. CONSTELATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.3-C. 137.3 gns. 27.2 mm. An- other superior example of this variety. Deep olive brown in color, a shade fairly typical for the Nova series. Both the obverse and reverse surfaces appear smooth, hard, and porosity free. About perfectly centered on both sides and with a sharp and pleas- ing strike. Ex Lorin G. Parmelee Collection (New York Coin & Stamp Co., June 26, 1890, second of two in lot 586); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 39 39 1785 Nova Constellatio. Blunt rays. Large US. CONSTELATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.l-B. 121.1 gns. 27.6 mm. One of the best ol these seen in the past ten years. Both sides are pale golden brown in color. The obverse surfaces appear smooth and hard to the naked eye, the reverse is a little rougher in the center. About perfectly centered on both sides. hx Lorin G Parmelee Collection I New York Com & Slump Co.. June 26. 1890. lot 588); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. - 24 NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS Lot No. 40 40 1785 Nova Constellatio. Blunt rays. Large US. CONSTELATIO. Choice Extremely Fine. Cr.l-B. 116.3 gns. 28.3 mm. A second. Both sides of this piece are toned in a pleasing olive brown shade, the color on the reverse a little darker. The obverse surfaces appear smooth and hard to the naked eye, the center of the reverse rougher as usually seen on this combination. Well centered on both sides. Ex Henry Chapman in February 1925; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 41 Lot No. 42 41 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice About Uncirculated. Cr.2-A. 123.9 gns. 27.7 mm. One of the best known of the variety, nicer than Garrett:616 for example. Centers soft as usual. Both the obverse and reverse are a rich brown with traces of faded mint color in the protected areas. The fields are smooth, hard, and porosity free. The centers are a little rougher particularly on the obverse where the die did not strike up fully (due to the reverse failure in the center). Both sides are about perfectly centered. A very pleasing example. Ex Hiller Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 42 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Extremely Fine. Cr.2-A. 111.7 gns. 28.0 mm. A high grade for one of these. A second example and in about the same die states as the preceding. This piece is toned pale golden brown on both sides. The surfaces are a little rougher than those on the preceding but the granularity is still microscopic and is really not disturbing. Struck from the failing reverse with pronounced swelling visible in the center on this side. One or two minor rim disturbances are noted. Centers soft as usual. Ex S.H. Chapman on April 6, 1926; Hiller Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 43 Lot No. 44 43 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Very Fine. Cr.2-A. 122.2 gns. 27.7 mm. A third. Dark gray-brown in the fields, a little lighter on the high points. Obverse and reverse surfaces granular in appearance. Centers soft, as usual on this combination. Fully struck in the centers. Ex George H. Earle Collection (Henry Chapman, June 25, 1912, lot 2152); Hiller Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 44 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Nearly Very Fine. Cr.2-A. 113.1 gns. 27.1 mm. A fourth. This piece is dark brown with granular surfaces, particularly those on the reverse. A couple of minor rim disturbances are noted. Centers soft as usual. Ex W.B. Guy Collection ( Henry Chapman, November 3, 1911, lot 318); Hiller Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 25 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS Lot No. 45 45 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Uncirculated. Cr.3-B. 120.5 gns. 27.2 mm. Very nice light golden tan in color on both sides. The fields are smooth, hard, and largely porosity free despite the advanced states of the dies. The centers are much sharper than usually seen on these with some detail visible even in the all-seeing eye in the cen- ter of the obverse. A couple of rim tics and a dent above ‘AT’ on the obverse are noted. More sharply struck in the centers than usually seen. This is one of the few varieties that comes Unc. with some frequency. Ex U.S. Coin and Stamp Company on September 28, 1912 ; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 46 46 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Uncirculated. Cr.3-B. 111.6 gns. 27.8 mm. A sec- ond. Rich and pleasing olive brown in color on both sides. The surfaces are smooth, hard, and largely porosity free, those on the obverse being quite glossy in appearance. Well struck in the centers and well centered on both sides. A couple of minor rim tics are noted. Ex Tom Elder’s 197th Sale (October 9, 1924, lot 2087); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 47 47 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Uncirculated. Cr.3-B. 107.7 gns. 26.4 mm. A third. Light ruddy brown in color on both sides. Obverse surfaces smooth, hard, porosity free; reverse rougher, pitted in places, granular elsewhere. Very sharply struck in the centers, particularly on the reverse. Well centered on both sides. Struck on a small and constricted flan. Very early state of the reverse break. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 48 48 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice About Uncirculated. Cr.3-B. 109.1 gns. 26.6 mm. A fourth. Both the obverse and reverse are toned in a dark brown shade with traces of very faded mint color visible particularly on the former, fairly sharp in the centers due principally to the fairly early state of the reverse failure. Off center on both sides towards the bottom on each with portions of the legends running off the flan on each side. Early reverse state, the break in the wreat h above the date is just beginning to show. Noted by Ryder on his ticket that accompanies the lot “Not evenly centered.” Ex S II & II Chapman. May I. 1902, lot number unrecorded; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. - 26 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS Lot No. 49 Lot No. 50 49 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Extremely Fine. Cr.3-B. 109.7 gns. 26.5 mm. A fifth. Both the obverse and reverse of this piece are toned in a light golden brown shade. The surfaces appear smooth and hard on the obverse, most everywhere on the reverse save for the center where the die was crumbling. Obverse sharp in the center, reverse a little weak on the high point due to the advanced die state. Both sides about perfectly centered, but tight on the flan at the top of the obverse and on the left side of the reverse. Broken reverse state. Ex Tom Elder's 169th Sale (February 12, 1920. lot 490); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. 50 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Very Fine. Cr.3-B. 112.4 gns. 26.8 mm. A sixth. Deep olive brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces appear smooth and hard to the unaided eye, center of the latter a little rough due to its moderately advanced die state. Center of obverse quite soft, All-Seeing Eye nearly indistinct due to the failure in the center of the reverse. Both sides a little tight on the flan, at the bottom on the obverse and top on the re- verse. Fairly early reverse state, the break starting to show. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. A PAIR OF SUPERIOR Cr.4-C 1785 NOVA CONSTELLATIOS Lot. No. 51 51 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.4-C. 112.7 gns. 28.2 mm. A superior specimen for a variety that does not come Unc. This piece exceeds any listed by Widok and is the finest seen by the cataloguer. The obverse is toned in a pale golden brown shade, while the reverse is darker. The fields on both sides appear smooth and hard to the unaided eye. Well centered, with all design details on the flan save for the denticles on each side. Centers quite sharp and the piece overall is quite pleasing, particularly for a variety that just does not seem to come in Uncirculated condition. Ex John G. Mills Collection (S.H. & H. Chapman, April 27, 1904, lot 118); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 52 52 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.4-C. 116.7 gns. 28.1 mm. Another exceptionally high grade example of this variety. Light golden brown in color on both sides. Obverse and reverse surfaces a little rough particularly on the former. Obverse soft at the bottom, striations there as made; re- verse a little more sharply struck, the softness visible only at the upper left. Obverse nearly perfectly centered, reverse a little off to the lower left. Small rim tic on the reverse above ‘BE’. Ex Tom Elder’s 197th Sale (October 9, 1924, lot 2090); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 27 — NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS A PAIR OF HIGH GRADE Cr. 4-D 1785 NOVA CONSTELLATIOS Lot No. 53 53 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Extremely Fine to About Uncirculated. Cr.4- D. 120.9 gns. 26.9 mm. Better than most others seen. Dark olive brown on both sides, a color fairly typical for these. Ob- verse and reverse surfaces microgranular in appearance, some roughness in places around the obverse. Sharpness about as expected from the variety. Well centered on both sides, letters at the top of the obverse very close to the rim. Ex a Mr. Brown on April 23, 1919 ; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 54 54 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Extremely Fine. Cr.4-D. 126.4 gns. 27.0 mm. A second. Olive brown obverse, lighter olive tan reverse. Both surfaces appear rough due principally to the advanced states of these dies. Well centered, with sharpness about as expected from one of these. Ex George M. Parsons Collection (Henry Chapman, June 24, 1914, lot 339); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd; earlier, possibly ex Dr. Thomas Hall col- lection. INTERESTING Cr.4-D 1785 NOVA Ryder: “This piece slipped through the sale without its rarity being discovered.” Lot No. 55 55 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Very Fine. Cr.4-D. 124.8 gns. 27.1 mm. A third. Both sides are toned in a medium olive brown. The obverse surface is quite rough in appearance while the reverse seems smoother in the center with the roughness confined principally to the periphery. Good central sharpness, despite the states of the dies. Both sides nicely centered. Rated a full R-6 by Crosby. Not as sharp as Garrett’s. Missing from the Roper sale. Norweb’s was both outstanding and unappreciated. Noted by Ryder on his ticket that accompanies the lot I his piece slipped through the sale without its rarity being discovered.” Ex Tom Elder’s 9th Sale (February 20, 1907, lot 535); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 28 NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPERS OUTSTANDING Cr.5-E 1785 NOVA Lot No. 56 56 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Uncirculated. Cr.5-E. 111.4 gns. 28.4 mm. Among the finest known and actually graded higher than any listed by Widok as of April, 2003. Both the obverse and reverse surfaces appear smooth, hard, essentially porosity free and somewhat glossy. The piece is toned a remarkable combination of pale brown and iridescent gold characterized as “steel color” by Ryder when he bought the piece in 1905. Very sharply struck in the centers with near full detail visible there and some showing in the leaves of the reverse wreath. Both sides about perfectly centered, the obverse a little tight at the top but only the denticles are missing there (as they are along the right edge of the reverse). A really remarkable piece. (SEE COLOR PLATE) Ex S.H. & H. Chapman, June 7, 1905; Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 57 57 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. About Uncirculated. Cr.5-E. 98.0 gns. 28.1 mm. Another outstanding example of a variety that is tough to find even in Extremely Fine grade. Both sides are light brown in color. The surfaces appear smooth and hard to the unaided eye. The centers are fairly sharp with most of the detail showing. Obverse slightly off center to the upper left, tops of ‘CONS’ run to or off the flan; reverse much better centered, just a little tight at the lower left. Ex Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. Lot No. 58 58 1785 Nova Constellatio. Pointed rays. Large US. CONSTELLATIO. Choice Extremely Fine. Cr.5-E. 116.3 gns. 28.0 mm. A third. Superior grade for the variety. Both sides are a light ruddy brown in color. The obverse surfaces appear smooth and hard to the unaided eye while the reverse is rougher, mostly around the periphery. Fairly well struck given the grade and better centered than the preceding. A couple of light rim bumps are noted. John G. Mills Collection (S.H. & H. Chapman, April 27, 1904, lot 119); Hillyer Ryder, F.C.C. Boyd. — 29 — RARE 1786 NOVA CONSTELLATIO The coin