From childhood, I learned about my family roots in colonial New England. Our Brewstergenealogical records, on my mother's side of the family, trace our family ancestry back to theMayflower, with many generations residing in Massachusetts. We are the direct descendants (14thgeneration!) of Elder William Brewster, a passenger on the Mayflower (for more information onhim, see the entry on mayflowerhistory.com).

Coincidentally, Beth, my wife, and I had the chance to explore Massachusetts a bit when I was avisiting professor at College of the Holy Cross in 2007 to 2008. I recall finding and checking outmany numismatic books at the Worcester Public Library and attending local coin shows. I droveinto Boston to attend the Bay State Show at the Radisson Hotel in 2008. It was my first timeattending such a major coin show!

I thought about my dad when I began studying Massachusetts colonial half cents and cents withan American Indian depicted on the obverse. Julius, my late father, was fascinated by NativeAmerican history, artwork and spirituality. He would have been intrigued by the design of thesecoins. Q. David Bowers notes that the Massachusetts cents and half cents represented the firsttime CENT appeared on a coin made in the United States. He also explains that (Bowers, Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial andAmerican Coins, p. 197). Craig Sholley and John Dannreuther add, Massachusetts coppers (Sholley and Dannreuther, in Penny-Wise, vol. LVII, no. 3, July 2023, p. 107).

Michael Brooks, a member of the New Jersey Numismatic Society, brought a beautiful 1787 MAHalf Cent Ryder 4-C NGC EF 40 for show-and-tell at our NJNS meeting in January 2023. Mikehad just purchased this coin at the FUN Show. I studied it with my magnifying glass andconsidered the possibility of buying a specimen for myself.

To further educate myself, before I started looking into specimens for sale, I conducted researchon the Newman Numismatic Portal, examined Stack's Bowers and Heritage online auctionrecords, and studied PCGS CoinFacts. I also reread sections pertaining to Massachusetts coppersin the Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, by Q. David Bowers.

Next, I examined numerous Massachusetts coppers on various dealer websites, ranging in gradefrom About Good to Mint State. Then, I discovered a 1788 R 4-G MA Colonial Cent PCGS XF40 listed on Chris McCawley's Early Cents website (earlycents.com). After exchanging texts andhaving phone conversations with Lucas Baldridge at Early Cents, we worked out a deal. I am sothrilled to own this coin! Lucas was gracious, friendly and a pleasure to work with.

My coin is described as being choice glossy medium chocolate brown with areas of lighterbrown toning on both sides. The planchet quality is extraordinary. It is a remarkable example ofa variety that was missing from the Partrick Collection. I felt drawn to the provenance,summarized on the Early Cents website as

I was thrilled when my Massachusetts colonial coin arrived in mid-December. What amagnificent specimen! My coin came with a small card containing the following information:

I am now checking old auction records to learn more about the provenance of my piece. RayWilliams told me that Mike Packard is working on a book about Massachusetts colonial coppers.I can't wait to read it!

Note: Lucas Baldridge of Early Cents kindly gave me permission to use the obverse and reverseimages of my coin from the Early Cents website to accompany this article.