A recently discovered example of a rare 1787 Connecticut copper variety caused heads to turn in our 2014 C-4 (Colonial Coin Collectors Club) portion of our Official Auction of the Whitman Coin & Collectibles Baltimore Expo when it realized $52,875. Lot 6164, an example of Miller 36-k.3, is a Rarity-7 variety, at the peak of desirability among collectors. The rare Connecticut copper, graded AU-53 by PCGS, is far and away the finest example of the variety currently known according to our cataloger. Only a half dozen examples of the variety were known before the appearance of this specimen, and one of those six coins is tucked away permanently in the ANS collection.
Connecticut copper collectors turned out in force in Baltimore to participate in the C-4 portion of the sale, and the bidding was fast and furious from the start for the lot. After a minute or two of strong bidding, the coin found a new home in an advanced Connecticut copper cabinet. Our annual C-4 sale takes place in Baltimore as a part of our regularly scheduled Whitman Coin & Collectibles Expo sale in that great coin city. Though there were numerous highlights in the C-4 portion, lot 6164 will long be remembered as a highlight of the 2014 auction year.