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1052

1771 Counterfeit George II Halfpenny, the “Baby Head” variety, AK-133. 133.0 grains.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:NA
1771 Counterfeit George II Halfpenny, the “Baby Head” variety, AK-133. 133.0 grains.
1771 Counterfeit George II Halfpenny, the “Baby Head” variety, AK-133. 133.0 grains.Fine or better, a nearly impossible variety to grade because they come weakly struck and usually on wretched planchet stock. One of the most impossibly crude of counterfeits, done by the most unskilled of engravers. The obverse legend is engraved correctly, though GEORGIVS is off the planchet on this example, while II REX is sharp – and though it is clearly a George II legend, the bust faces to the right, as on the coinage of George III. When looking at the reverse it becomes clear that the bust was probably intended to be a George II but was cut in backwards, as the seated Britannia figure also faces the wrong direction, here to the right instead of the left. Despite getting the obverse legend engraved correctly, the reverse legend is backwards, reading AIN NATIRB, with the letters all cut in backwards as well – though the date was somehow cut in correctly! All the reverse letters and date are sharp on this specimen. The obverse bust is simplistic, with a line denoting the bottom edge of the hair, while the reverse figure is laughably crude, looking either like a child’s crayon drawing of a scarecrow or a later Picasso painting of some French beauty, you choose. It may be that the reverse die was produced first, tested, and the engraver saw his error and was able to then cut the obverse die with the letters at least facing the right way. Medium brown, the surfaces lightly rough, but not horribly so, and with no detracting marks from circulation. Each of the 10 or so survivors of this family have different centering, wear, and surface issues, giving each one a rather unique look. In Byron Weston’s survey of the 8 examples known to him (The Colonial Newsletter, April 2008, issue 136), this example is listed as the fourth known, originally part of the Mike Ringo collection (purchased at the Stack’s March 1993 auction); Mike sold it to Neil when he acquired the finest known example of the variety, which appeared in the 2008 sale of his collection. In his article, Weston makes a strong case for these being the mysterious coppers struck by William Gilfoil, a blacksmith at Fort Crown Point, NY, in the early 1770s (the fort burned down in 1773). Gilfoil was a skilled blacksmith, but would have had no experience cutting dies, nor of making planchets, which on this variety appear to be cut out from copper sheets using large shears, something a good blacksmith would possess. It is noteworthy that of the 9 confirmed (and 1 more rumored) specimens, ALL have been found in North America, and this variety was completely unknown to British collectors, including top-of-the-food-chain collector Francis Cokayne who had a penchant for odd, unusual, and crude pieces. There are only a handful of struck counterfeits that have a reasonable chance of being made in America, and these include the Big Three of the series: the Banana Nose, the 1783-dated British, and the Baby Head. The Banana Nose is known by two varieties, both unique, and the 1783 British has two known examples, so the only one most collectors have a chance of owing is the Baby Head variety. One of the highlights of Neil’s collection, we note that the inferior Syd Martin coin (with a charming planchet crack) realized $4,320 earlier this year. The appearance of two examples in a single year should not fool the collector into thinking the variety is obtainable – it might well be a decade be
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