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HERITAGE MARCH 2021 PARTRICK SALE SELECTIONSHere are some items that caught my eye in the upcoming Heritage sale of the Donald G. Partrick collection of U.S. colonial coins. -Editor 
(C. 1663-1672) Small Size St. Patrick, Gold--Scratched--NGC Details. AU. W-11530, Martin 1a.2-Ba.14, Unique. 184.9 grains. This example with a provenance dating to the late 1700s is the only genuine gold St. Patrick coin known today. It is the piece that appeared in the June 1909 Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge sale of the Rashleigh Collection that passed from Philip Rashleigh of Menabilly in the late 18th century to his great nephew, Jonathan Rashleigh, and to his son, Evelyn William Rashleigh. Plated in the 1909 Rashleigh catalog with the scrape across the cathedral visible in that appearance. A second gold example was offered in the Norweb sale in 1988. That plain-edge piece was from the same dies as silver examples that Eric P. Newman identified as counterfeit in his article, "A Snake Breeds a St. Patrick Farthing," that appeared in The Numismatist of May 1962. The Norweb gold counterfeit failed to sell. Interesting piece with a great provenance. -Editor
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1670-A French Colonies 15 Sols, W-11610, Martin 1.2-B.1, VF30 NGC. The Edict of February 19, 1670, authorized coinage for Nouvelle France or "New France," the French colonization of the shores of the St. Lawrence River, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia, eventually reaching the Great Lakes region. The 1670 edict authorized coins valued at two sols (the double denier), five sols (1/12 ecu), and 15 sols (1/4 ecu). The A mintmark on these pieces indicates their production at the Paris Mint. Robert Vlack reported that 200,000 five sols coins and 40,000 15 sols coins were sent to Canada. While there were no coins struck for exclusive use in Canada, these pieces were intended to be used in all of the French New World colonies including Canada and the Caribbean. Despite the seemingly substantial distribution of these coins, they are extremely rare today, and most survivors are found in museum collections. Michael Hodder's census in the 2006 Ford catalog indicates that three examples are held in the Bank of Canada Collection, and one each at the Smithsonian Institution, Colonial Williamsburg, the Bibliotheque Nationale, the British museum, and the American Numismatic Society. Five or six others are in private hands. A rare denomination of an historically important piece. -Editor
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1786 New Jersey Copper, Date Under Plowbeam, Maris 7-E, W-4710, High R.7, VF30 NGC. 150.0 grains. Among the finest examples known of this legendary rarity in the New Jersey series. The coin is well-centered and well-struck, with the usual soft strike in the centers relegated mostly to the reverse. Indeed, while this piece ranks third in the condition census, the horse's facial features are more distinct here than on the example ranked second. The surfaces exhibit a light golden-tan patina that is both pleasing and natural. While the fields are mildly microgranular, there are few marks worth mentioning, and some minor roughness at the rims is commensurate with the grade assigned. An unusual characteristic of this piece, shared with the finest known Maris 7-E sold in our January 2021 offering of highlights from the Partrick Collection and at least one other example, is its die orientation: while most New Jersey coppers are struck in the familiar 180° "coin turn" alignment, this piece is struck at about a 10° alignment, nearly what is known as "medal turn." This example is of perfect weight, as the act establishing the New Jersey coinage specified a statutory weight of 150 grains. We note that the NGC grade is precisely the same as that given by Michael Hodder when he cataloged this piece for the 1987 Norweb sale: a consistency that speaks well of the coin. Only two obverse dies were used to produce the distinctive Date Under Plowbeam type: obverses 7 and 8, as listed by Edward Maris in his 1881 A Historic Sketch of the Coins of New Jersey, the classic work on the subject. Maris 7 is found paired with reverse E (as here); a unique pairing with reverse C is also known. Obverse 8 is encountered paired with reverse F in what is the only known use of either die. Of the three resulting die varieties (Maris 7-C, 7-E, and 8-F), there is a total of only ten known coins, making the New Jersey Date Under Plowbeam among the rarest of all colonial types. The Date Under Plowbeam type was first brought to the attention of collectors in 1860, when it was included in a supplementary listing to the second edition of Montroville Dickeson's American Numismatic Manual, in which one was said to be in the collection of Boston numismatist Jeremiah Colburn. The present example was not offered publicly until the 1987 Bowers & Merena sale of Part One of the Norweb Family Collection, the catalog for which revealed that it had been sold privately to Emory May Norweb on August 1, 1958, by the Empire Coin Company, having previously been "the highlight of the personal collection of James F. Ruddy." This is only the second time that this coin has been offered for open bidding. The Norweb specimen; nice example of this rare variety. -Editor
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1787 Machin's Mills Halfpenny, Vlack 18-87C, W-7930, High R.4, AU58 NGC. A short diagonal die crack from the border over Britannia's head suggests a late die state for this olive- and mocha-brown near-Mint halfpenny that is attributed to Thomas Machin's Mint in Newburgh, New York. Vlack 18-87C is a scarce variety that is occasionally found in higher grades. This piece is apparently in the Condition Census for the variety. Listed on page 71 of the 2021 Guide Book. Nice high-grade piece. -Editor
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(1800) Washington Funeral Medal, Gold--Obverse Scratched--NGC Details. AU. Baker-166, Fuld 2-C1, Musante GW-70A. 197.8 grains. 29 mm, plain edge. The death of George Washington on December 14, 1799 came as a shock to American citizens. He was mourned for months, and public and private ceremonies were held across the country. In Boston, a Masonic ceremony was held on February 11, 1800, and a civic funeral procession took place on Washington's birthday, February 22. Newburyport, Massachusetts engraver Jacob Perkins produced funeral medals for both services. Baker-165, the rare Skull and Crossbones variety, was worn at the Boston Masonic service. Baker-166 and the rare Baker-167 were made for the civic procession. Baker-166 was struck in multiple die combinations and in four different alloys, with silver and white metal the usually encountered metals. A classic piece, rare in gold. -Editor
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(1793-99) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ricketts's Circus, R. E-PA-429, Julian UN-32, R.8, AU55 NGC. 84.3 grains. Copper, reeded edge. Original examples of the Ricketts's Circus tokens exist in copper and silver, and they are extremely rare in either composition. Original 18th century strikes are on thin planchets as offered here with a weight of 84.3 grains. The thick planchet restrikes, circa 1840, weigh about double that of the originals. While we are unaware of a detailed census of these tokens (a worthwhile project), we understand that the total population of original strikes and restrikes, combined, is only about a dozen examples in copper, and only two or three in silver. Two original bronze examples from the John J. Ford, Jr. Collection were sold in 2013. An XF40 NGC piece realized $23,500 and an MS62 NGC example brought $47,000. An important early American token, in high grade. -Editor
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747 Georgivs II, Machin's Mills Halfpenny, Vlack 1-47A, W-7660, R.5--Double Struck--Fine 12 NGC. The legends, date, and design motifs are noticeably doubled on this important Machin's Mills halfpenny that shows the earliest known date of these emissions. It is important to understand that the date displayed on the Machin's Mills pieces does not tell us when they were actually struck. Research suggests that these pieces were all minted in the late 1780s. This 1787-dated emission was probably struck by John Bailey in New York City about 1787. Neat double struck piece. -Editor
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Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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