1786 VT 1/2P Vermontensium, BN (Regular Strike)

The 1786 Vermont Copper, Vermontensium

The three known VERMONTENSIUM varieties of Vermont Copper bear the date 1786. These mark the last of the landscape Vermont Coppers. Starting with the RR-9 (the 1786 "Baby Head," #800848), bust portraiture replaces the idyllic mountain scene.

The earlier landscape varieties derive their names from the die cutters’ attempts to land on an appropriate Latin formulation. The 1785 VERMONTS varieties (#539) likely illustrate an awkward use of the English possessive case, while the VERMONTIS (#542) is grammatically declined as a third-declension Latin noun to mean "Republic of Vermont." Finally, VERMONTENSIUM employs the Latin suffix -ensis (meaning “a citizen of” or “belonging to” a place), declined in the genitive plural to translate elegantly as "Republic of the Vermonters."

For the later portrait varieties, a clever shortcut is introduced: VERMON AUCTORI ("By the Authority of Vermont") sidesteps the grammatical puzzle altogether through the use of abbreviation. Otherwise, the coins might have read AUCTORITATE VERMONTENSIUM, which would have been quite a mouthful.

The Three Vermontensium Varieties

The 1786 Vermont Copper, Vermontensium, RR-6

The 1786 Vermont Copper, RR-6 (#800826) is the most common of three known VERMONTENSIUM varieties and -features a unique die marriage of Obverse 4 and Reverse D (the RR-7 and RR-8 share a common reverse). By way of attrition, the RR-6 is considered the most common of the VERMONTENSIUM varieties. Two examples survive in Mint State, while several attractive pieces fall into the PCGS XF-AU grade range.

Tony Carlotto writes that the beginning of the word VERMONTENSIUM is weakly struck in most cases. I prefer an alternative description, characterizing the typical strike as "poorly" struck rather than simply weak. Some examples feature sharp but incomplete lettering; a clear instance of this is the Eliasberg specimen, which lacks much of the definition in the lower arm of the E. That said, there are also many examples where the early lettering is simply poorly impressed onto the flan.

• Obverse (Obverse 4): The inscription VERMONTENSIUM. RES. PUBLICA · 1786 · wraps around the design, inside a border of thin denticles. Seven trees top the ridge of the Green Mountain. The fourth tree is punched high above the landscape, while the seventh tree misses the mountain entirely and nearly touches the base of the P. The U in PUBLICA is double-punched with wide spacing between the impressions. This is visible to the naked eye and almost resembles a fishhook.
• Reverse (Reverse D): The top pointed rays point to the right tip of the Q, the left leg of the R, and the left leg of the A. The E in STELLA is punched slightly higher than the adjacent T and L. (By contrast, on the shared RR-7 (#800847) and RR-8 (#800827) reverse, the E is positioned slightly lower than its neighboring letters).

The 1786 Vermont Copper, Vermontensium, RR-7

While not as commonly encountered as the RR-6, the RR-7 (#800847) is one of the more available landscape issues and is certainly one of the nicest in terms of planchet quality. It is often seen with a die bulge in the lower obverse, which spreads in later die states. A sole Mint State example tops the PCGS condition census. The extant population fits into two distinct weight groups: 100–115 grains and 125–130 grains. Interestingly, many of the best-preserved examples fall into the lower weight category.

• Obverse (Obverse 5): The inscription VERMONTENSIUM. RES. PUBLICA · 1786 · wraps around the design, inside a border of thin denticles. Nine trees top the ridge of the Green Mountain (Carlotto says 8½, as the tree farthest to the left is represented by a three-branch sprig, the top shoot of which touches the lowest left branch of the second tree). The left ray of the sun connects to the right branch of the seventh tree. The third sun ray points directly to the right leg of the R. The plow is positioned close to the date, with the bottom right corner nearly touching the top of the 6. The U in PUBLICA is double-cut.
• Reverse (Reverse E): The inscription QUARTA · DECIMA · STELLA wraps around the design, inside a border of thin denticles.The bottom rays of the sun point to the lower right tips of the T and L. The E in STELLA is positioned lower than the adjacent T and L. A small second dot is located to the upper left of the interpunct between QUARTA and DECIMA. This reverse die is shared with the RR-8 (#800827).

The 1786 Vermont Copper, Vermontensium, RR-8

The RR-8 (#800827) is the scarcest of the VERMONTENSIUM types and is typically found in lower circulated grades. Flan quality is often poor, and no known examples survive in Mint State. Examples in the PCGS condition census weigh between 102.6 and 118.3 grains.

• Obverse (Obverse 6): The inscription VERMONTENSIUM. RES. PUBLICA · 1786 · wraps around the design, inside a border of thin denticles. Nine trees top the ridge of the Green Mountain, but here they are farther apart than on the RR-7 (#800847). The far left and far right trees are situated on the extreme edges of the landscape. The trunk of the rightmost tree is placed at the very edge, while the branches of the leftmost tree are immediately below the N and T in VERMONTENSIUM. The plow is positioned slightly to the right of lower center, with its blade point just above the tip of the 7 and its bottom right corner pointing to the right tip of the right leg of the A.
• Reverse (Reverse E): This is the same reverse used for the RR-7. The bottom rays of the sun point to the lower right tips of the T and L. The E in STELLA is positioned lower than the adjacent T and L. A small second dot is located to the upper left of the interpunct between QUARTA and DECIMA.

* * *

* * *