  The interplay between long-range and local Coulomb repulsion in strongly
interacting electron systems is explored through a two-dimensional
Hubbard-Wigner model. An unconventional metallic state is found in which
collective low-energy excitations characteristic of the Wigner crystal induce a
flow of electrical current despite the absence of one-electron spectral weight
at the Fermi surface. Photoemission experiments on certain quarter-filled
layered molecular crystals should observe a gap in the excitation spectrum
whereas optical spectroscopy should find a finite Drude weight indicating
metallic behavior.
