Pitt Halfpenny Token
1766 Pitt Halfpenny Token. Betts-519, W-8350. Silvered. AU Details--Corrosion Removed (PCGS).
87.4 grains. Even deep steel gray with a few traces of coppery color coming through the silvering (actually tin) on the high points. Very sharp and extremely appealing for a silvered example, as the tin used tended to blister and corrode easily and rarely survived attractively or intact. A few areas of tinpest are seen, including at O of NO STAMPS on the obverse, E of TRADE, and behind the ship on the reverse. A low area above the front of the ship, beneath THE FRIENDS, is a bit low and was perhaps smoothed in the past. The visual appeal remains excellent for the issue, far surpassing most of the tinned examples we’ve seen. As a baseline, silvered examples are perhaps 20 times scarcer than non-silvered ones, in any grade or condition.
PCGS# 239. NGC ID: 2AUJ.
From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
Estimate: $5000