1766 Farth William Pitt, Silvered MS(PCGS#235)

The Summer 2022 Global Showcase Auction U.S. Coins

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

8250

等级

AU55

价格

455,050

详细说明

Superb 1766 Pitt Farthing Rarity AU-55 (PCGS) 1766 Pitt Farthing Token. Betts-520, W-8345. Silvered. AU-55 (PCGS). 59.1 grains. The only silvered Pitt farthing certified by PCGS, tied with the Roper coin as finest certified of the type overall. The hair is as sharp as seen on any specimen known, and each of the portholes is fully outlined and delineated, even more than the exceptional Boyd-Ford specimen. The Roper example, while choice and with exceptional surface, shows almost no detail in the portholes. This piece's silvering is almost intact, a blend of gray and gold in the fields, coppery-peach on some highpoints. Its look is wholly original, "unsophisticated" as the book trade would say, with some encrustation still visible within the date numerals, scattered surface verdigris above the portrait and elsewhere, and no signs of the commercial improvement suffered by so many specimens of this charming type. The appearance of some very tiny pits under a glass are endemic to the composition, created by off gassing during the silvering process. The surfaces show few marks or flaws, just a thin scratch between EN of FRIENDS, a short diagonal scratch under 17 of the date, and a little natural fissure on the bust truncation. The overall visual impact is attractive and as-found. Pitt farthings aren't really farthings, of course, though most seem to have seen a measure of circulation wear. They're coin-sized commemorative medalets, adopted into the early American coin series due to the identically-designed Pitt token or Pitt halfpenny (which, in a general sense, seems to have circulated much more significantly, with grades ranging down to smooth AG). Made in England for an American audience, they celebrate the person of William Pitt, whose popularity in England was great, but in the British colonies of North America was even greater. The French and Indian Wars of the 1750s took a huge toll on British finances, compelling Parliament to find new and creative ways to generate revenue to counteract the expenses incurred. One such proposal came to fruition in March 1765 with the passage of the Stamp Act, imposing tariffs on paper intended for use in the colonies and requiring the use of an embossed stamp. The colonists had no say in the law and vehemently opposed it from the beginning. The colonists found an ally in William Pitt, who worked diligently against the Act, finally succeeding in its repeal on March 11, 1766. The controversies surrounding the Stamp Act's passage and eventual revocation gave birth to the concept and expression of "no taxation without representation," a phrase that remains in common parlance, in particular on the current license plates for the District of Columbia. While other medals celebrated Pitt in this era, none are as coin-like - and therefore, as popular - as this type and the Pitt halfpenny. This example, of course, is magnitudinally rarer that the more commonly encountered Pitt token. Most survivors are granular or rough, due to both the reactive brassy composition and ground losses. While Pitt halfpenny tokens sometimes appear with substantial silvering, this is the only Pitt farthing known to us (or included in the McDowell census of known pieces) with visible silvering. It is rare as a Pitt farthing, extremely rare as a high grade one, and in this finish may be considered unique. Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from England; our (Stack's) January 2011 Americana Sale, lot 5838. PCGS# 235. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA. Click here to see Coins in Motion.[“Coins]