Owner Comments:
The Irish halfpennies are no exception to my affinity for Irish copper. Although roughly half the size of the penny, these coins are still impressive. These coins are often dubbed as common, and again, that is true for average circulated examples. For those of you wishing to build a mint state set, which would be relatively inexpensive, this may prove slightly more complicated. Irish copper, in general, is not traded nearly as often as English copper, but when it is, there are usually quite a few people to compete with. Prices are often quite inflated from the estimates provided in price guides, and one should do their research ahead of time to figure out what fair market value is on the coin.
Obverse: George III faces right, his head adorned with a wreath of 9 leaves and three berries tied behind his neck with a riband of 1 bow and one loose end that flows out to the left and points down. The curls of his hair rest behind the neck and on both shoulders. A brooch of 6 beaded jewels catches the drapery on the right shoulder. The lowest fold of the drapery is plain with a K in roughly the center. The legend which is contained within a thin raised rim and beaded border and reads as follows: GEORGIUS III · D: G · REX. all evenly spaced. This particular example is remarkably free of contact marks for the assigned grade and possesses a very pleasing red-brown color. The top portions of several letters are weakly struck and show a lack of definition.
Reverse: The reverse portrays a crowned harp with nine strings. The left side of the harp consists of a half-clad woman; her lower half is adorned with what I describe at a mermaid-like fin. Her top half is exposed with her arms depicted as wings that make up the top part of the harp where the crown rests. The bottom band of the crown is decorated with a pattern of precious stones that appears as the following: (
· : · ● · : · ● · : · ● · : ·). The top of the crown consists of two bridges, one on the left and on the right, which convenes the top center of the cross located on the top middle of the band just described. Both bridges are decorated with eight beads resting upon a curved bar. The inner ring of the crown is adorned by a series of small bumps to give the appearance of texture. Note the design of the right arm of the harp; this becomes less elegant as the denomination decreases. The legend reads as follows: HIBERNIA. with the date 1805 appearing below the primary device and is contained within a thin raised rim and beaded borders. The top portions of several letters and the bottom portion of the date are weakly struck and show a lack of definition.
Edge: Engrailed
Notes: The color of this coin makes it a very eye-appealing. Hints of red luster dance around the protected areas of the bust and letters. In the right light, a slightly blueish green tone can be seen in the fields. Remarkably free of contact marks and unsightly carbon spots, this coin is a premium quality piece for the assigned grade. Although by no means a high grade, I am content to keep this coin in my collection with no desire to seek a higher-graded example. There are currently eleven graded MS-64 BN with 3 in higher grades at NGC alone.