1737 Higley Copper Threepence - Three Hammers, VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE

Coin Details

Auction Record

$43,200 • VF30 PCGS • 03-2023 • Stack's Bowers

Description

Distinct from the VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE spelling variant (which uses the Latin V for U), this die combination renders the legend with the conventional English spelling VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE alongside the Three Hammers reverse. Struck from copper mined at Dr. Samuel Higley's private mine near Granby, Connecticut, the coin weighs approximately 9 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as W-8225, Freidus 3.2-B.a, and Breen 241, this variety is rated R.7 with approximately 5-8 examples known to survive — slightly rarer than the related VALVE spelling variant. An example graded VF30 by PCGS realized $43,200 at Stack's Bowers in March 2023, with PCGS #207 providing the population tracking identifier. The multiple legend spellings across the Higley copper series — including both VALVE and VALUE renderings — document the transition from Latinate to English conventions in the die-cutting process and represent distinct die combinations that the Freidus classification system carefully distinguishes. Dr. Higley's decision to abandon a fixed denomination in favor of the open-ended VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE represents an extraordinary moment in American monetary history: a private coiner essentially acknowledging that value derives from market consensus rather than sovereign decree, presaging economic concepts that would not be formally articulated until later centuries. Each surviving Higley copper is individually documented and tracked by specialists, with the small known population making any new discovery or reappearance at auction a significant numismatic event.

Rarity Notes

R.7. Very scarce; approximately 5-8 known.

Cross References

W-8225, Freidus 3.2-B.a, Breen 241