Musante GW-Unlisted, Baker-2C, Vlack 24-T, Breen-1200, W-10450 variety, With Button, INDEPEDENCE Misspelling, considered to be at least Rarity-8.

A fascinating rarity in the Washington series, with a massive (and massively unflattering) bull-headed Washington portrait and the bold, my-high-school-English-teacher-would-have-hated-it obverse legend error.

This issue first appeared in New Netherlands December 1968 60th Auction, lot #488 where it was described as follows:

“. . . Massive head with bull neck, large ribbon bow behind, toga drapery low and with button, letters and date small, top wreath leaf ends almost midway between & and I, toothed border (rather than beaded) with many letters and 83 running into it; error legend, WASHINGTON & INDEPEDANCE [sic]. Rev. Liberty holding a long cone-shaped cap on pole, box not so tall as usual and longer with what looks like four drapery folds on it, no initials T.W.I. E.S. in exergue, legend runs into toothed border. Plain edge; wgt. 19.55 grains. Unique. . . Well circulated, although not seriously maltreated or abused. Hitherto unpublished; unknown to previous authorities and cataloguers. Unquestionably contemporaneous with the originals. At the present time unique and of extraordinary interest. Consigned to us from one of England’s oldest token collections.”

There are rumors of a second example having been discovered in the 1990s, but we have not seen it and to our knowledge no image has ever been published.

Making this either a unique piece in this series, or possibly one of two known. In either case, this is a seldom seen issue, and a fleeting opportunity for the specialist. And considering that similarly rare (and similarly graded) coins in the Connecticut and New Jersey series have realized high 5 figures or even 6 figures at auction, this charming, original chocolate brown piece seems like solid value at our ask.

Ex Stack’s-Bowers November 2022 sale of the Sydney Martin Collection, lot #2118, earlier Stack’s-Bowers January 2013 sale of the Ted L. Craige Collection, lot #11458; earlier 1988 Breen Encyclopedia Plate Coin; earlier Robert Vlack’s 1978 die study published in The Colonial Newsletter; earlier New Netherlands December 1968 60th Auction, as noted, lot #488.

HOLD

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