Owner Comments:
With a few notable exceptions, the George III Irish copper struck at the Royal Mint is common. The bulk of these pieces are in lower circulated grades with a couple dozen uncirculated examples showing up during an average auction year. However, they are rarely in gem condition. I would estimate that the bulk of them fall somewhere in the MS-63-64 range. It is incredibly difficult to find an example that is fully struck, free of environmental damage, and well-centered. This example happens to check all three of those boxes and is remarkedly free of contact marks.
Obverse: This obverse design depicts a much younger George III than its later Soho counterparts. The King is depicted facing right with his hair adorned by a wreath of six leaves and two berries. The wreath is tied behind the neck by a ribbon with two bows and two loose ends. The upper bow and loose end protrudes outward behind his head, with the loose end pointing between the "G" and "E" of the legend. The lower bow rests on the rear of his neck, and the lower loose end laps under a large bundle of hair and rests on his right shoulder. The aforementioned large bundle of hair consists of a series of curls that flow behind his shoulders and eventually drape behind the bust toward the rim. Another large locket of hair curls protrudes from under the bust and rests in the area between the shoulder truncation and the rim. A large curl rests above his ear, but unlike other portraits of the King, the hair above his forehead is neatly slicked back. The legend is divided between the bust. The first part,
GEORGIVS appears on the left, and the second part,
III · REX · appears on the right. It should also be noted that a stop appears just above his head.
Reverse: The reverse portrays a crowned harp with 9 strings. The harp's left side consists of a half-clad woman; her lower half is adorned with what I describe as a mermaid-like fin. Her top half is exposed. Her outstretched left wing makes up the top of the harp, which is met by a curl and a thin bar connecting the top to the back of the harp. Unlike the earlier Irish coinage, the crown seems to rest upon the harp as the harp's top part obscures the inner ring's backside. The inner bottom band (i.e., the inside rim) of the crown is plain, but the outer bottom band (i.e., the outer rim) is decorated with a pattern of precious stones that appears as the following: (
◊ : ◊ : ◊ : ◊ : ◊). It should be noted that the gems are horizontal and not vertical, but I could not figure out how to rote the shapes. In the inner center of the crown is a Maltese cross followed by a fleur-de-lis on either side. A Maltese cross appears on the outer side of each fleur-de-lis, and from each top protrudes a bridge adorned with ten beads. These bridges bow out on either side but converge in the middle of the crown conjoined by a nondescript design resting upon the inner center Maltese cross. Resting upon these bridges is an Orb surmounted by another Maltese cross. A single bead further adorns the upper and outer branches of the uppermost Maltese cross. The Legend
HIBERNIA . appears above the main device. The date "1782" is divided between the bottom foot of the harp, with "17" occurring at the left and "82" at the right.
Edge: Plain
Notes: I am overjoyed to have this example in my collection, but I find it highly unlikely that I will ever be able to assemble the entire series in such a high state of preservation condition. It is fascinating to think that someone back in 1782 may have stored this coin away so that collectors like me could enjoy it. I can’t help but wonder what stories it might be able to share if it could.