I got my first colonial down at Bay State Coin in Boston yesterday. Cost me $150. Its a 1787 New Jersey copper. Good deal because it turned out as Maris 38-Y R4. Sorry for the poor pics. Its going into my Coin A Month Project, for July and its first is first colonial!
I like the contrasting toning. That, my friend, is a CircCam. And decent copper CircCams are less often seen than silver ones, because they too often stray into "problem coin" territory. I dunno nothin' 'bout Maris varieties, but I say you picked up a nice, wholesome example there.
PS- My only concern is the green spot to the left, behind and slightly above the horse's head. Looks like there might be other small areas with lesser green spots. Make sure these are not active corrosion. Is there pitting there? I'd give the coin a mineral oil soak or use a commercial product like Verdi-Care or something. Maybe work at the green spots with a bamboo skewer or toothpick - some kind of soft tool that won't cause any harm to the underlying metal. Some kind of mineral oil or a gentle Vaseline rub might lessen the visual impact of the green spots without affecting the coin's natural color and attractive, contrasting toning, which you certainly should want to leave intact. The EAC people will likely have better recommendations for conservation. Regardless, I stand by my earlier assessment that it's a wholesome example for the grade, and I like it.
That's a nice New Jersey, SorenCoins. I should know, I live there <lol> Seriously though, I had a good collection of colonials years ago. I liked the New Jersey and Vermont issues the best. A lot of different varieties to look for if you're inclined to collect them as a series. Thanks for posting it. Bruce
Thanks. I think its a bit of PVC its only right there. Ill get it off tonight with a toothpick. 1787 has 75 Maris varieties. It was a hard decision between this and a 1794 large cent, but the large cent was too worn I would be able to decipher the Sheldon. I made a good choice. I forgot about CirCam thanks for that.
There is about 75-200 examples out there so it has a value of around $250 (I estimate, not sure however). Definetely a good deal.
