1787 Fugio Copper, Newman 10-G, rare 1 over 1 variety, VF+ details under a grand

Description: 1787 Fugio Cent. Pointed Rays. Newman 10-G, W-6700. Rarity-5. UNITED STATES, 1/Horizontal 1. Very Fine or better details, a coin that has spent some time in the ground, which has given the surfaces a light but even roughness which softens some of the central detail a bit, but which is not deep or disfiguring. Particularly strong along the peripheries, with FUGIO and the date bold, while just the first letters of MIND and BUSINESS are weak at the base of the obverse. The neat overdate, where the first digit was accidentally punched in horizontally, partially ground down and corrected is sharp. UNITED STATES is a little fuzzy on the reverse label, though mostly readable, while WE ARE ONE is bold. All the rings are sharp; this is the terminal die state for this reverse, which the late Rob Retz described as “break into ring 2 forms small cud, die failure in rings 1 & 2.” This obverse also pairs with a reverse with the STATES UNITED legend at the label, the Newman 10-G offered in the next lot. Certainly cleaned after it came out of the ground, the coin is a light brown with very faint pinkish undertones on the obverse high points and some light green haze on the reverse – both could be improved by someone skilled in such matters, of course. This was a very high grade coin when it was lost, likely AU or better, given the sharpness of the details, and the soil conditions were gentle enough that the couple centuries it spent underground only slightly impacted the strength of the coin. The last AU to sell at auction was Pierre Fricke’s coin which brought $26,400 in the November 2021 Stack’s Bowers auction of his collection. In case that price seems like a fluke, we note that the coin it is tied with as finest known was Eric Newman’s example, and that realized $25,850 in the 2014 Heritage sale of his collection. Here is a coin that still retains much of the detail of those high grade pieces, but at a fraction of the price – sure, we would all prefer either of those two unimpaired AUs, but having a sharp enough example and an extra $25K in the bank isn’t a bad compromise either. Getting ANY Fugio variety with this kind of detail under a grand is nearly impossible today – and having it also be a rare variety, and a naked-eye, Redbook listed type coin is just icing on the cake. This general type is pictured and listed on Page 84of the 2024 edition of The Redbook [which has had massive pricing updates, and is now FAR more accurate than it ever has been, even though it resulted in lowering of prices for many common type coins!], where it is priced at $1700 in just Fine grade. The variety is also listed in the 2020 book on colonials edited by Q. David Bowers, the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, as W-6700, page 222, where the variety is priced with a handful of auction records. ALL items we sell are sent via insured mail [or Registered mail for items over $500]. California residents must add appropriate sales tax. The pictures are of the actual coin being offered, and have been enlarged in size to show the detail – and we have included photos in black and white as well. We have over 35 years experience as professional dealers in US colonial coinage – and another 15 years prior to that as collectors of the series as well. As always, we offer a full, no-questions-asked return policy of 30 days after receipt of the coin if it fails to meet your needs in ANY way – AND WE OFFER ONE OF THE STRONGEST RETURN GUARANTEES ON E-BAY, though it has seldom been used; please check out our Feedback Profile or e-mail any comments or questions that you may have. Thank you again for your interest, and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Price: 950 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-09-02T20:44:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD