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1003

1770/1771 Counterfeit British Halfpenny, Struck with Double Reverses. 111.2 grains.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:NA
1770/1771 Counterfeit British Halfpenny, Struck with Double Reverses. 111.2 grains.
1770/1771 Counterfeit British Halfpenny, Struck with Double Reverses. 111.2 grains.Fine to Very Fine, a rare error where the counterfeiter loaded two reverse dies into the press – and they each had different dates! The dies were clearly made by the same hand or at least at the same shop, showing a distinct curved branch, and the N’s with an exaggerated lower serif. But, in a caution against relying too much on just punch linkage, we note that the I on one side is topless, but not on the other, and the 7’s in the date are very different between each die, those on the 1770 with a distinct arc to the top, those on the 1771 side done with a flat top. The fact that there were two dates and no obverse did not hinder the coins circulation, as both sides show sustained wear, and though there are light marks and a few old scratches, the surfaces are a pleasing medium brown. Double reverse strikes are a bit rarer than those with double obverses (one of those is offered later in this section), but both types are known, and from a surprising number of different die pairings, so the mistake seems to have happened to different counterfeiters, and at different times. While this kind of error could have been made as “mint sport,” it was more likely accidentally done. Most of these double obverse or double reverse varieties have just one or two examples extant, and it was likely the mistakes were caught early and corrected. Some did enter circulation, as did this example, but many of this type of error exist in high grade, suggesting that they were saved as an oddity from nearly the beginning.The recent sale of the first of Syd Martin’s counterfeits included a similar double reverse error which also had two different dates, 1774 and 1775.
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