Owner Comments:
As noted by Peck (1970), the currency 1797 Twopence pieces were struck from numerous working dies that correspond to either KT 1a or KT1b. The main distinction between the 1a and 1b obverse dies is the size of the lowest berry relative to the others. On KT 1a, the berries are all roughly the same size; however, on KT 1b, the lowest berry is notably smaller. An additional note is made that the currency pieces from KT 1b are more frequently encountered, which seems to be generally true in my experience. Given the difficulty experienced by the Soho Mint while striking these massive coins, it should be no surprise that many working dies were needed to fulfill the order. To this end, the numerous minor differences imparted by the working dies have not been studied extensively. I did think it was important to illustrate within this set the differences between the two main obverse die types. Although the current example is not the finest of the general type (i.e., KT 1b), it is just one of three uncirculated examples I have found from a flawed obverse KT 1b die. This piece is an important missing link to help explain a previously undocumented off-metal strike in my collection. More on this is to come, but for now, I will highlight the important flaws that are unique to this die pairing.
Obverse: The obverse portrays the draped bust of George III facing right. The wreath has ten leaves and four berries tied with a riband of 2 loops and one loose end.
The lowest berry is notably smaller than the upper three. There is a curl on each shoulder, and most of the hair hangs in curls behind the neck. A small, raised flaw occurs above the King’s head, close to the inner rim between “S” and “I”. Another raised flaw occurs in the midpoint of King’s hair toward the back of his head. A brooch of 6 jewels catches and holds the drapery. The two end beads are substantially smaller than the middle four. Please make a note of the "K" indicating Kuchler's initial, followed by two dots on the lowest fold of the drapery.
The second dot, farthest from the K, is slightly higher than the first. The legend GEORGIUS III · D: G · REX. is contained within the sizeable broad rim. A curious raised flaw occurs within the upright of the “D”. Remember, the legend in incuse on the coin, so it would have been raised on the die. This flaw indicates that the raised letter on the die was starting to crumble (i.e., the impression on the coin is raised). Likewise, the lower serifs of the I’s are weak, if not completely missing. The stops are also informative, as it appears the colon and stop after “G” were also starting to fail. These same features are present on the off-metal strike in my collection, which allows me to establish that it was struck from genuine Soho dies. Despite viewing hundreds of mint-state examples of this type (i.e., KT 1b), I have only recorded three examples with the noted imperfections in the legend.
Reverse: The reverse portrays Britannia seated left. Her right arm is extended to the left, holding an olive branch with 11 leaves, all attached. The bottom leaf is noticeably thicker and nearly doubled.
An odd discrepancy appears on this example as a raised lump in the shape of a much smaller leaf protrudes from the left side of the uppermost leaf. Her left arm is down with a trident clasped in her hand. An oval shield with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew (heraldically colored) is to her left side. Below Britannia, there are two rows of waves.
The waves are crested with foam. Under the right side of the shield is a rock with SOHO. In raised letters (note there is no stop after Soho). The most extreme wave-crest on the right points to the "H" in Soho. The three-masted warship bears a Union flag at the stern and a smaller, indistinguishable flag at the bow. The legend BRITANNIA. occurs within a sizeable broad rim, with the date "1797" appearing at the bottom.
Presumably unique to this reverse die is the flaw that occurs above the upper right limb of the first “N”. This flaw is incuse (i.e., would have been raised on the die) and somehow runs “through” the middle of the diagonal middle limb on the letter. This imperfection is more pronounced on the off-metal strike and extends nearly to the inner rim.
Edge: Plain
Notes: The imperfection within the “N” of the reverse legend is very peculiar and hard to fully explain. One might be tempted to conclude that it is a planchet-related issue, but this is ruled out as it also appears on the unrecorded off-metal strike in my collection. The imperfection, although incidental in every other way, extends nearly to the inner rim on the off-metal piece. It is interesting to note that the flaw is not nearly as deeply impressed into the coin as the legend, which suggests that it may have been on the die before the raised legend was applied. If this is the case, the off-metal piece must have been struck prior to this piece, as the imperfection has been largely removed. This is reasonable given that the remnants of the imperfection on the current piece would have been difficult to remove, given its proximity to the design of the raised “N”. Nonetheless, this example is highly instructive and provides definitive proof that my unrecorded off-metal piece was struck from genuine KT 1b dies. On a final note, one might be tempted to conclude that the current piece is an early Soho proof striking (i.e., P-1065A or P-1066); however, this piece lacks any of the qualities one would expect from a Soho Mint proof and runs counter to the known examples. Likewise, the known proof examples of P-1065A and P-1066 lack the imperfection noted on the reverse die and the crumbling upright limb of the “D” on the obverse legend. Although this piece will not be sold, I plan to eventually secure a nicer example of the general KT 1b Twopence.