 1787 Fugio Cent. K.17-W.2. Fine Rays. STATES UNITED. Rarity-7. 153.1 grains. Very Good. Golden brown and distinctly yellower on the reverse, the surfaces are noticeable porous, with some inherent planchet striae noted at the right obverse. A tiny ping above the first '7' of the date and an ancient scratch at the right reverse will serve to further identify this coin. Condition and surfaces are almost immaterial on this extremely rare variety.
Lightning has struck twice for us here at Stack's/Coin Galleries, as we were proud to offer you the Kessler specimen in our November 2003 Coin Galleries sale, a severely scratched Fine which brought nearly $5,000. As we noted then, this variety was absent from the Hancock and Ford collections, while the Norweb coin was finer. Although not as well detailed as the Kessler specimen, this coin is missing the major scratches seen on that piece. Although well worn, this piece is unequivocally K.17-W.2. The severe die crack identifies the obverse, while the positioning of the cinquefoil between the 'W' and 'E' tells us that this is the W.2 reverse and not the S.1, where the cinquefoil is above the 'W'. At least five other specimens are known of this variety, including Norweb's, Kessler's, and the three others mentioned by the Norweb cataloguer. This sixth and new specimen represents another rare chance to acquire a (usually) seldom offered variety that was called ''one of the great rarities'' in the Kessler sale.
To our knowledge, this specimen is new to the census.
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