Copper Bust Right

Vermont was operating as an independent republic when this piece was struck, having declared sovereignty in 1777 and remaining unrecognized by the Continental Congress throughout its coinage years. The state didn't enter the Union until 1791. Ryder-7 is among the better-documented die marriages of the 1787 Vermont series, attributed in Breen's work to a specific obverse paired with a matching reverse that shows measurable die progression across known survivors.

Vermont's copper coinage was authorized through a state franchise, not a government mint — private contractors held the rights and profit motive varied considerably in execution quality.