1787 $15 Brasher - Wing Punch

Coin Details

Auction Record

$4,582,500 • AU55 • 01-2014 • Heritage Auctions

Description

On this variety of the Brasher Doubloon, the hallmark "EB" is stamped on the eagle's wing rather than on the breast — a placement distinction that separates the Wing Punch from the even rarer Breast Punch type and creates two fundamental collecting categories for the most celebrated American gold coin. Cataloged as W-5710 and Breen 980, the Wing Punch variety is slightly more available than the Breast Punch but remains among the rarest and most valuable coins in all of numismatics, with specimens commanding prices in the millions of dollars at major auctions. Ephraim Brasher, the New York goldsmith and assayer who produced these doubloons in 1787, valued them at approximately $15 — equivalent to a Spanish gold doubloon — and stamped each piece with his personal hallmark as a guarantee of the gold's weight and fineness. The obverse depicts a sunrise over a mountain with the sea in the foreground and the legend "NOVA EBORACA COLUMBIA EXCELSIOR," while the reverse shows a heraldic eagle with a shield on its breast. The Brasher Doubloon transcends numismatics to occupy a place in broader American cultural history, having been featured in novels, films, and museum exhibitions as a symbol of early American ambition and craftsmanship. This piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series and represents the pinnacle of private American gold coinage from the Confederation period.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Slightly more available than the Breast Punch.

Cross References

W-5710; Breen 980