HomeAuctionsChoice Mint State 1787 Fugio Copper in Stack's Bowers March 2021 Showcase...

Choice Mint State 1787 Fugio Copper in Stack’s Bowers March 2021 Showcase Auction

Choice Mint State 1787 Fugio Copper in Stack's Bowers March 2021 Showcase Auction

By James McCartneySenior Numismatist, Stack’s Bowers ……
Fugio coppers have long captured the imagination of numismatists as one of the first federally sanctioned coinages of the United States. In April 1787, the Continental Congress authorized the coinage of copper cents equivalent in weight to British halfpence and bearing a design inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s sundial and 13 links motifs that appeared on the fractional Continental Currency notes of February 17, 1776. Petitions by numerous enterprising firms were submitted and in the end, the contract to strike 300 tons of the new coppers was given to James Jarvis and his Company for Coining Coppers. With dies engraved by Abell Buell, production took place at several locations, most notably at New Haven, Connecticut, and possibly even New York and Vermont.

Our March 2021 Showcase Auction will feature an exceptional MS-64 BN (PCGS) 1787 Fugio from the Newman 13-X dies. This is an easy die marriage to attribute; the obverse is heavily clashed in the right field and the reverse is the workhorse die X with a prominent crack from 6 o’clock on the rim. This lovely near-Gem example offers incredibly silky luster and steely-brown patina with hints of tangerine luster in the protected areas. The superior technical quality is matched by tremendous eye appeal.

Most Uncirculated Fugio coppers owe their preservation to a large cask of approximately 5,000 coins purchased by the Bank of New York in 1788 and forgotten in the basement until the bank moved to a different location in 1856. The bank handed out the coins to preferred clients for many years and in 1948 the American Numismatic Society was granted access to examine the remaining 1,641 specimens, of which 726 pieces were of the Newman 13-X die pair. The bank reportedly retained as many as 712 of the coins as late as 1998.

This MS-64 BN (PCGS) 1787 Fugio copper will be featured in our March 2021 Showcase Auction as part of the Dr. Jeffrey A. Rudolph Collection, an impressive selection of early type coins, small cents, pre-1933 gold coinage, and U.S. paper money.

In addition to the Rudolph Collection, the Stack’s Bowers March 2021 auction will present Small Eagle Draped Bust half dollars from the E. Horatio Morgan Collection; spectacular Peace dollars from the Pittstown Collection; and New Orleans Mint rarities from the Collection of Steve Studer. We are accepting consignments to this event through January 25 and a calendar of our entire schedule of upcoming auction events can be found on our website www.StacksBowers.com.

If you would like to consign or have questions about the consignment process, please contact us today at [email protected] or 800-566-2580.

Stack's Bowers
Stack's Bowershttps://stacksbowers.com/
Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90-year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection, and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few. World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, and The Thos. H. Law Collection. The company is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California with galleries in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. Offices are also located in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver.

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1 COMMENT

  1. MANY YEARS AGO I GOT A 4X4 COPPER PLAQUE I WILL CALL IT ,FROM MY GRANDFATHER. HE FOUND IT IN A HOUSE IN THE CATSKILLS IN NYS. IT WEIGHS ABOUT 2 LBS. IT DEPICTS THE FUGIO WITH THE STATES NAMES AND IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE. I HAVE ASKED MANY COIN EXPERTS WHAT IT IS AND THEY ALL SAY THAT THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT, BUT THEY AGREE IT IS EXTERMLY RARE.
    MY GRANDFATHER HAD IT SINCE THE LATE 40s SO IT IS OLD .
    ONE LOCAL COIN DEALER HERE IN NJ SAID NEVER LET IT OUT OF MY HAND.
    JUST WONDERING IF SOMEONE COULD IDENTIFY WHAT IT IS.

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