Owner Comments:
****This is one of several coins that hold a special place within my larger collection. It resided in the Boulton Family Estate Collection until it was retailed by my late friend Bill McKivor (a well-respected dealer) in the early 2000s. From there, it was sold to my late friend, Cory Collins, who held onto it for over two decades before selling it to me. Along with this coin, Cory generously sold me several other Soho restrikes from the Boulton Family Estate, which are all denoted with both the Boulton and Collins provenances. Although these pieces are beautiful, rare, and well preserved, the joy I experience from owning them is derived from the memories I formed with Cory over the years of our friendship. We made a point to see each other every FUN show and these visits quickly became the highlight of my numismatic calendar. In the intermediary, we would often spend several hours a week chatting on the phone about the minutiae of the Soho Mint that would otherwise be lost to the average collector. I deeply miss my friend, but I am grateful that these coins remind me of all the great memories we shared over the years.****
The Droz pattern halfpennies were my first serious introduction to the Soho Mint. As such, they are an area of special interest. The tricky part is finding nice examples that are not overly expensive relative to what they are. In recent years there has been an notable increase in collector interest in these pieces (both original and restrike), which makes the task of adding new additions more difficult. Gilt specimens tend to command the strongest prices, but original “early Soho” pieces can get very pricey depending on the variety. In this case, the P-991 is a genuinely rare variety, but appears so infrequently on the market that assigning a value is tricky. This fact is more complicated when considering the provenance, which always commands a strong premium. Peck describes this variety as
very rare.
Obverse: The obverse depicts the undraped bust of George III facing right. A laurel wreath with ten leaves and two berries tied by a riband with only one visible loose end rests on his head. The combination of fine die rust and the improper application of the bronzing give the impression that the upmost leaf is detached from wreath and floating above the King’s head. Although this is less extreme relative to earlier varieties such P-989. The lowest leaf is better defined and does not nearly blend in within the poorly defined hair details. In fact, the entire wreath has been retouched, as individual veins can be seen in several leaves. A large, neatly formed curl appears above his ear. A large clump of hair protrudes from under the lowest leaf of the wreath and rest on the back of his right shoulder. This curl terminates with curls forming a complete circle. Another, less well defined clump of hair rests on the front of his right shoulder, which also terminates in a perfect circular curl. Although not clearly defined from the neck, a large lump of hair flows down below the bust. This lump of hair terminates in two well defined curls that make complete circles. Although difficult to fully discern on this example, the truncation of the bust is striated. The engraver’s details
D. F. appear in raised letters superseding the striations. The tip of the bust is somewhat oddly shaped. The are of the striated truncation is curved in a semi crescent shape, but this arc is interrupted by a curve in the exact opposite direction, which is subsequently curved before making a nearly straight line. The squared tip of the bust nearly touches the beaded border. Immediately below the bust appears an eagle’s head protruding from thunderbolt. As noted by Peck (1970), the extensive die polishing has removed most of the protruding thunderbolt on either side, resulting in stubby remnants. The most extreme ends on either side are completely detached and instead are simply raised lines. The obverse legend reads
GEORGIUS III ◊ D ◊ G ◊ REX ◊. Extensive patches of die rust are evident between the “G” and the lowest mass of hair, and throughout the field below “REX”. The entire design is within a beaded border. A series of large die cracks appear throughout the lowest mass of hair below the bust. Slight doubling of the bust is most apparent around the tip of the nose, the lips, and the chin. This piece has the more commonly encountered creamy brown appearance one would expect from a bronzed piece but retains some of the flashes or orange color that is often present on the restrikes held by the Boulton family. Overall, the obverse design has been noticed touched up as the wreath, hair, and general details of the bust are better defined.
Reverse: Britannia is depicted resting on a sphere (presumably a globe) facing left. A small tiara appears in her hair, which is neatly tied in a bun. A single large, and weakly detailed curl flows behind her neck and rests on her left shoulder. A smaller curl of hair is also depicted on her right shoulder. She is wearing clinging drapery, which is wrapped around her right shoulder. This fabric is depicted as having slid down her left shoulder, exposing her left breast. Her right arm is outstretched to the left, with her hand pointing to the distance. Her right arm is hanging down, resting upon an oval shield with the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew (heraldically colored). Her left hand, resting on the shield, grasps a spear. The tip of which awkwardly interrupts the reverse legend between he two “N”s. A laurel branch appears protruding from behind the shield, and is superseded by the spear. Britannia’s drapery is less detailed than other varieties, but a series of folds forming a nearly triangular shape obstructs the top portion of the globe. Despite extensive evidence of die rust on the globe, there are no large, connected patterns that give the impression of a land mass. There is no pattern, nor a discernable place for one to occur, within he hems of her dress. There is a small flaw attached to Britannia’s heal. Unlike other varieties, there are no patches of raised grass along the foreground. There is no sea in the background on either side of Britannia. The foreground is sharply cut by an exergue line. Just under the exergue line on the left appears the engraver’s details
DR • F •, which appear clumsy compared to other varieties of this type. The date 1790 appears in the middle followed by a quatrefoil. The legend
BRITANNIA appears at the top with a floral ornament only appearing on the right side of the legend (i.e., the end). Peck (1970) note that the entire reverse legend has been reworked. This is apparent on this example, with evidence of recutting most prominent at the tops of the letters “N”, and “I”. Surprisingly, there are no notable die cracks to mention on the reverse of this variety. The reverse benefits from the same creamy brown and orange color found on the obverse.
Edge: Plain
Notes: It is interesting to note that many of the restrikes held by the Boulton family have the same general appearance. Most notably, they have a somewhat orangish hue, which is very odd considering the bulk of them are bronzed. Given that similar varieties not held by the family lack this color, it seems likely that it is a byproduct of how they were stored. I plan to interview the primary dealer the Boulton family entrusted to sell the collection, which I will include in an eventual write-up detailing the history of this collection and the family that preserved it for at least a century. As it relates to this specific variety, I am a big fan of the eagle and thunderbolt design that appears under the King’s effigy. Given the final adopted designs of the 1797 and 1799 coinage it is not surprising that this design failed to gain traction. Although more modest compared to the large crown pattern of the 1799 halfpennies, the small edition to the obverse proved too much for royal approval. However, I think the reverse is rather appealing. It would have been amazing to see this design adopted for an earlier coinage, but I would not want to sacrifice the final adopted design of the 1799 halfpennies.