AMERICA'S FIRST GOLD COIN - PRIVATE ISSUE STRUCK IN 2011 AUTHORIZED BY THE CURATOR OF THE NATIONAL NUMISMATIC COLLECTION OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
1787 EPHRAIM BRASHER UNIQUE GOLD HALF DOUBLOON LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET
CERIFIED BY NGC GEM BRILLIANT UNCIRCULATED
OBV: EAGLE DISPLAYED WITH SHIELD OF AMERICAN ARMS ON BREAST, 13 STARS AROUND HEAD, LEFT TALON CLUTCHING SHEAF OF ARROWS AND RIGHT TALON CLUTCHING OLIVE BRANCH; BRASHER STAMPED ASSAY HALLMARK OVAL WITH "EB" INITIALS ON RIGHT WING; CIRCLE OF LAURELS SURROUNDING; DATE BELOW.
REV: WIHIN BEADED CIRCLE READIANT SUN RISING OVER MOUNTAINS WITH SEA FOREGROUND.
EPHRAIM BRASHER (1744-1828) WAS A PROMINENT AND RESPECTED GOLD AND SILVERSMITH AND RESIDENT OF NEW YORK CITY. HE WAS OFTEN CALLED UPON TO ASSAY AND AUTHENTICATE COINS, AND HIS HALLMARK MONOGRAM "EB" WITHIN OVAL THAT HE STAMPED ON THE COINS ENSURED THEIR WORTH AS WELL AS STAMPING THE COINS HE MINTED.
FROM 1787 HE STRUCK A SMALL NUMBER OF COPPER AND GOLD COIN PATTERNS, AND THE SURVIVING COINS HAVE BECOME AMONG THE MOST DESIRABLE AND VALUABLE OF ALL UNITED STATES COINAGE. ONLY SEVEN DOUBLOONS ARE KNOWN TO EXIST AND THE HALF-DOUBLOON IN THE SMITHSONIAN IS ONE OF A KIND.
THE GOLD "DOUBLOONS" HE MADE FEATURE AN EAGLE DESIGN, FAMILIAR AS THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES, WHICH WAS BASED ON THE BRASHER OBVERSE, AND THE REVERSE FEATURES THE STATE SEAL AND MOTTO OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. THE BRASHER GOLD HALF DOUBLOON COIN STRUCK IN 2011 BASED ON THE ORIGINAL UNIQUE PIECE IN THE SMITHSONIAN NUMISMATIC COLLECTION (AND ONE OF THE FEW COINS IN THE MINT CABINET COLLECTION STILL LEFT ON DISPLAY DUE TO ITS IMPORTANCE) WAS MADE USING A SPECIAL MINTING PROCESS CREATING SIMILAR UNIQUE EDGES AS EXHIBITED ON THE ORIGINAL.
IN 1789-90 BRASHER WAS ALSO A NEIGHBOR OF PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON (BRASHER LIVED AT #5 CHERRY STREET AND THE EXECUTIVE MANSION WAS AT #3).
INTERRESTINGLY, A BRASHER DOUBLOON WAS THE MOTIVE FOR CRIMINAL HIJINX IN RAYMOND CHANDLER'S PHILIP MARLOWE MYSTERY "THE HIGH WINDOW". IT WAS MADE INTO A FILM IN 1947 CALLED "THE BRASHER DOUBLOON".
CONTAINS 13.2 GRAMS OF .999 FINE GOLD (.4240 OZ AGW)
23 MM IN DIAMETER
COMES ENCAPSULATED IN CERTIFIED NGC PROTESCTIVE SEALED HOLDER NESTLED INSIDE A CUSTOM LAQUERED WOODEN BOX WITH A PICTURE OF BRASHER'S FAMOUS MONOGRAM HALLMARK ON THE LID AND ACCOMPANYING CERTIFICATE.
