Hey guys, I just came into possession of this awesome coin which I believe is a PCGS #563 from 1788? I forget the correct name for the coin, but can anyone confirm this? and if so, I was wondering if it would be worth having graded or not. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks, Brian
It is a Vermont piece, and I would say definitely genuine, but I'm not sure how you know it is 1788 unless you know the variety. I can't see the date being visible on the coin. There are 40 varieties of Vermont coppers from 1785 to 1788, this has a bust right so it has to be 1787 or 88 but that is as far as I can take it. I just don't know enough about them to attribute it. (I have no idea what a PCGS #563 is and I suspect PCGS doesn't know either. OK series 563 all just refers to a Vermont 1788 bust right, no variety breakdown. So the number doesn't really tell you anything. Any one of several varieties would all have the same number.)
If you can post some clearer pictures, I might be able to help you humbabwe. Need better lighting, sharper images and close ups would be helpful. I have a couple of good references on Vermonts. Bruce
I hope these are good enough... I don't think I can get any closer with the camera I have. A friend had listed it on eBay (I saved it from being cleaned?!?!, and sold) as some particular version of this coin that he had guessed and he was yelled at by someone who was sure it was a 26th version of this coin (??). Thats where I got the idea that it was an 88. Again, thanks for any help Brian
PCGS #563 is the number dedicated to the coin I think this is, done so by PCGS themselves. I'm willing to bet they'd know what it meant. PCGS assigns a number to every coin there is, I believe. I thought it'd be a good way to tell the coin I was talking about... guess I was mistaken. Brian
It is a 1787 RR13 also known as a "Britannia" variety. They were minted using a worn out counterfeit British halfpenny reverse die, the reverse never shows much detail for this reason. It is a relatively common variety, but still sought after because of the use of the halfpenny reverse die. I wouldn't bother slabbing it, most Colonial collectors prefer their coins unslabbed.
I like it too! The Britannia is one of my favorite colonials, made by one of the mints that also made counterfeit halfpence. Yours isn't very high grade, but has very nice color and surfaces. Congratulations on a great save!
I love these old Vermonts humbabwe. Yours does have good color IMO. The surfaces are rough, but that's pretty common for this series so doesn't detract like it would on most other coins. Bruce
Thanks guys. I just love the idea of who might have held it. Its great. I'd only trade it for something at the most.
