1747 MACHIN'S MILLS HALFPENNY -
VLACK 1-47
Notes:
This was the only use of the obverse die.
This was the only use of the reverse
die.
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Images courtesy of Ira
& Larry Goldberg Coins & Collectibles
Recent appearances:
SEGS VF-30, "Uniform Corrosion" (illustrated above)
- Paul Arthur Norris
- Goldbergs 09/2002:68,
"SEGS graded VF-30 "*" holder, "Uniform Corrosion". Dark
brown in color with corrosion over the obverse and reverse, but even enough in
color and not as distracting as it might sound. Well struck by the dies, with
the date and devices all bold. One of the first of the Machin's Mills coins,
this one has King George II on the obverse (facing left), while later issues
show King George III facing right.
This is one of the scarce Mould-Atlee "Tory Coppers" produced at
Mould's Mint located at 32 Williams Street, New York City. They have been punch
linked to Walter Mould and thus to the Constellatio Nova coppers. Mould was a
pupil of Thomas Wyon, the famous British coiner, and Mould emigrated to America
in 1785. After Mould arrived in America, he pieced together a living coining
imitation British halfpence (the "Bungtown coppers" or more recently
"Tory coppers"). Although there were no legal penalties for making
these light weight coppers, Mould likely kept his enterprise a secret, as he was
trying to land more lucrative and legitimate work of making coins for various
states in the Confederation."
Sources and/or
recommended reading:
"Walter
Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins" by Walter
Breen
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