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1057

Undated Counterfeit George II Halfpenny. 97.4 grains.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Undated Counterfeit George II Halfpenny. 97.4 grains.
Undated Counterfeit George II Halfpenny. 97.4 grains.Very Good, a variety that has a small number of examples known, but none showing a recognizable date. As the cataloguer of the piece in the recent Syd Martin sale described the variety, “George's effigy is bloated, and though there is little central detail in Britannia, she looks to have a disproportionately long torso and appears to be sitting very close to the ground, her cheeks swollen, her jaw and mouth jutting forward, the sprig is ‘vegetative’ as we called it in our description of the Ringo specimen which appeared as lot 5844 in our (Stack's) January 2008 Americana Sale. Despite the odd, probably hand cut design motifs, the legends are from punches, which themselves are a bit odd-looking. Perhaps the oddest part of this coin is the date, which is not from punches, but is represented by 4 thinly and shallowly engraved characters that look more like runes than digits and that are followed by two small periods.” The date runes on this one have been ruined by roughness in that area, though the coin is easily die-matched to the Martin and Ringo examples, as well as others in private collections. Not noted by earlier cataloguers, there is no actual hand holding that reverse branch, just a straight line representing an arm (likely a punch, which was also used on the pole arm, though that had a hand added to it). Dark brown, lightly rough surfaces, more so on the reverse. There is a dent at the lower obverse/upper reverse, which causes a bend in the planchet in that area. Despite the condition, a rare and intriguing variety, few of which are notably better.
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