'1772' 1/2P Machin's Mills, IVS, BN MS (PCGS#939)
The November 2012 Baltimore Auction
- 拍卖行
- Stack's Bowers
- 批号
- 6059
- 等级
- VG10BN
- 价格
- 34,802
- 详细说明
- 1772 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 24-72C, W-7740. Rarity-6+. GEORGIVS III. VG-10 (PCGS).
112.3 grains. A superb example of this rare variety, acquired in our 2007 Henry Leon sale where it was described as "Very Fine-30. A beautiful example of this rare and distinctive Vlack number, not discovered until 1981 and still extremely elusive. Rich chocolate brown with excellent gloss on the hard, smooth surfaces. Magnificent eye appeal for this variety; compare this coin to the holed (but actually quite sharp) specimen in our September 2006 sale that realized $1,840. The obverse portrait shows excellent detail, not quite as sharp as the Ringo coin but still bold. The legends still remain in vestiges, despite the concerted effort spent to grind them down and make these counterfeit halfpence look more worn and passable. The bases of VS of GEORGIVS remain, as do a couple bottom serifs from III and hints of the bases of R and X of REX. The reverse die is in better condition, and this piece shows that die boldly, even clearer at the seated figure's waist than the aforementioned Ringo specimen. A rim bruise is seen on the obverse at 5 o'clock, with a few other little rim nicks around that side, but only the most insignificant field marks. The reverse shows a couple of tiny rim nicks at the top and some well-hidden old scratches, mostly horizontal, at the center.In November 2000, the Ringo coin sold for $9,487.50. While finer than this piece, that valuation is relevant as the last offering--seven years ago--of a specimen that could be called both pretty andsharp for the variety. The market for early American rarities has grown by leaps and bounds since then, and interest in the circulating counterfeit halfpence series has increased concomitantly. The present example would be a central prize in any well-formed cabinet of Machin's Mills issues." We don't have much more to add -- nothing close to this has sold since 2007.
PCGS# 939.
Provenance: From the John "Jack" Royse Collection. Earlier from our (Stack's) sale of the Henry Leon Collection, May 2007, lot 524, where it realized $13,800.
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