Machin's Mills Halfpenny
1772 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 7-72B, W-7730. Rarity-6. GEORGIUS III, Group I. VF-30 (PCGS).
108.6 grains. The condition census for the die marriage is given as VF-25 to AU in the Whitman Encyclopedia, and this piece fits comfortably within that census and we believe it is tied with a few in similar quality. Though we have sold only three separate pieces, all of indifferent surface quality, over the last decade, we have seen a few nice ones over the last 25 years. The E Pluribus Unum specimen is sharp and without any surface issues, the dark brown fields are slightly textured, the high points worn to a lighter golden tan. Ringo's example was called VF-25 but was in fact sharper, however it has some planchet flaws on both sides, Newman's NGC Fine-15 was slightly less sharp but has choice chocolate brown surfaces, and a specimen we sold in our (Stack's) September 1993 sale was as sharp as this one but X-canceled on the reverse. This is the only die pairing of 1772 Machin's Mills halfpenny with the incorrect "U" in the Latin legend GEORGIVS III REX, and here is one of the most pleasing and well-balanced of the no more than 30 pieces thought to survive. Accompanied by an old green envelope with attribution noted as 19-P, based on Vlack's first plates made in 1964, on which the last die combination was numbered 18-O, making 19-P the next available die combination in this system.
PCGS# 929 and #826946.
PCGS Population: 1; 1 finer (EF-40).
From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
Estimate: $2000