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1070

1773 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Old Guy George Family, Dies 1-73A. 123.4 grains.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:NA
1773 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Old Guy George Family, Dies 1-73A. 123.4 grains.
1773 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Old Guy George Family, Dies 1-73A. 123.4 grains.Very Fine, a boldly struck example of this scarce variety, named for the unflattering, aged bust of the king, which has his chin curling up towards his nose, and saggy jowls. This obverse die comes with three different reverses, the others dated 1774 and 1775, but this 1773 version is the crudest, with the letters and date appearing hand-engraved, while most of the obverse letters appears to be from punches. The seated Britannia is nearly a stick figure, though one that appears to be wearing shoulder pads to accent her waspish waist, and her arms are thin. The branch is crude, with many leaves not connected to it, and the round shield has more of a geometric design on it than a depiction of the Union Jack. Medium olive brown, the surfaces with a light roughness at the left obverse and the reverse, the right obverse hard, and overall pleasing to the eye, especially as there are no major marks from circulation. There is a diebreak in the field under the OR of GEORGIVS and another break through the ribbon ends, connecting them to the bust. These breaks do not appear on the 1775-dated varieties, but do appear on around half of the 1774-dated varieties we have seen, and most of the 1773-dated versions, so despite having the latest date in the family, the 1775 variety was struck first, and apparently the bulk of the 1773’s were struck last. Once considered quite rare, the family has remained scarce, save for a variety pairing a second obverse with this 1773 reverse, which is extremely rare.
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