A splendid Serpent Head, featuring rich medium brown surfaces with gentle and attractive woodgraining. The surfaces are almost entirely hard and smooth, unusual for a Serpent, and the detail is about as bold as one could hope for. Even NOVA, which is so often weak on this die marriage, is fully struck. This variety tends to be crudely struck. Even the most lovely Serpents must have some natural flaw. This one has a large ragged clip from 1:00 to 3:00 on the obverse rim, affecting a few letters there and M of UNUM. A fascinating coin, the exception that proves the rule, a lovely and sharp 54-k that still tell the story of their crudity and the low quality, low-weight planchets that enabled their manufacturers to profit.