Owner Comments:
As noted by Peck (1970), there are five major varieties of
currency issue 1799 Halfpennies (excluding P-1253). Most of these are extremely common – the most ubiquitous example found in uncirculated conditions is P-1248 with the 5 incuse gunports. Other varieties, such as P-1250 or P-1252 are substantially more challenging in higher uncirculated grades.
I am very fortunate to have secured a truly gem example of one of the more challenging examples. Distinguished by the raised line along the length of the ship’s hull, the current piece is an example of P-1252. Peck classifies this variety as
Scarce, which is further compounded when factoring in the high level of preservation this piece has enjoyed for over two centuries. This coin is certainly among the best, if not the finest example of this variety. I will eventually resubmit this coin to have the variety listed on the label. In doing so, it will oust the current MS-62BN as the “Top-Pop” for this variety.
Obverse: The bust of George III faces right. A wreath of 11 leaves and three berries rest on his head and is tied behind the neck by a riband with one loop and two loose ends. A single dot (.) appears on the lowest fold of the drapery, caught by a clasp of 6 square jewels. Peck notes that the position of the folds and dot varies with different working dies. The legend occurs within a thin raised rim and toothed border that reads as follows: GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX (even spacing). The obverse fields are slightly reflective, and the legend is sharply struck, which is often not the case for these coins. Several minor die breaks occur throughout. The most obvious of which appears to protrude from the forehead before mostly terminating just below the lefthand side of the “G” in “GRATIA”. A pleasing blue tone can be seen in the peripherals.
Reverse: |
Britannia is depicted facing left wearing a close-fitting drapery sitting on a rock surrounded by waves. Her right arm is extended, and her hand holds an olive branch with 14 leaves and no berries. Her left arm is down with a trident clasped in her grasp of which the middle prong points just left of the first limb of the 2nd “N” in Britannia. An oval shield with a thin raised rim adorned with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew (heraldically colored) is to her left side. A three-masted warship appears in the sea in front of her about halfway down her leg. A raised line runs almost the entire length of the hull, just above five incuse gunports. It is interesting to note that the second gunport for the left is incredibly shallow. An ensign is mounted to the poop and a long pennant is affixed to the main mast. Three raised dots appear in a triangle shape on the rock to the right of the shield. The date “1799” occurs just under the curved sea with the “1” entirely separated from the sea. The legend occurs within the thin raised rim and toothed border and reads as follows: BRITANNIA with the date appearing at the bottom of the coin just under the primary device. The entire reverse legend is sharply struck, which is somewhat uncommon for currency issues of the 1799 Halfpenny. The typically encountered “waviness” is evident in the field below Britannia’s arm but appears farther away from her body than usual. A series of die cracks appear behind Britannia on either side of the trident. The reverse of this coin is nothing short of spectacular. The entire coin is chocolate brown in appearance, but this is highly contrasted with the pastel blue toning in the peripheral. My images do not show the true extent of this contrast, but the extreme luster paired with the reflectivity of the slab made it impossible to fully capture.
Edge: Engrailed
Notes: This coin drips with luster – to the point that it was difficult to photograph. I plan to let NGC have a shot at imaging it when I send it back for the variety attribution. The luster is greatly muted in my images and the peripheral toning is almost non-existent compared to viewing this coin in hand. In short, I took crummy pictures of an otherwise stunning coin. The 1799 currency issues will be a continued area of research as I have recently found diagnostics not mentioned by Peck among the several hundred that I have viewed over the years. I plan to eventually publish my findings once I have gathered sufficient evidence to do so.