Halfpennies

[Michael-Roo 781]

C'mon people. WAKEY, WAY-KHAY! Halfpennies. Remember?

Here's a half decent 1690 from me. 

 

 

[IanB 175]

I don't have many but got this one a few weeks ago.

[Michael-Roo 781]

Nice one Ian, so's the dog . I'm sure there'll be others on here who will be able to identify exactly which 1863 you have there.  Lovely condition.

[IanB 175]

Thank you Michael, as I said don't have many of them but I am happily picking up one every now and then. This one I bought from RLC35 and I am quite pleased with it.

The dog on the other hand looks nice but is often up to mischief, hence the innocent look on his face

[Michael-Roo 781]

Yup. Don't I know it. Look at that picture of our Roo which I'm using for a day or two. Butter wouldn't melt, etc. etc…...

[Michael-Roo 781]

 

I'm happy to put up another here for members to have a look at…..

A 1694. Not only unbarred As in MARIA but no stop after it too. Unrecorded? I can't find mention of this variety anywhere. 

 

[Rob 3,152]

Possibly not noted before. Coincraft lists both A's unbarred but doesn't mention stops at all, so it would come under this reference (WMHD-065). I don't know whether Nicholson 049 had a stop or not and now the images are no longer available, so can't say. The die is different to both my unbarred A's obverses. Baldwins 47 lot 357 definitely has a stop.

 

[Michael-Roo 781]

 

Hi Rob. I too have a second example of the unbarred A's, and that one does have an obvious stop after MARIA. The obverse stop is clearly visible on Nicholson 049 too (pictured).

[rooneydog 9]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

Possibly not noted before. Coincraft lists both A's unbarred but doesn't mention stops at all, so it would come under this reference (WMHD-065). I don't know whether Nicholson 049 had a stop or not and now the images are no longer available, so can't say. The die is different to both my unbarred A's obverses. Baldwins 47 lot 357 definitely has a stop.

 

Rob just click on the x - The Nicholson Collection is back on the Colin Cooke site.

http://www.colincooke.com/collections/nicholson_part1.html

 

[Rob 3,152]

Ah, good. Thanks.

[Rob 3,152]

Michael-Roo was saying that nobody posts halfpennies, so here is an attempt to rectify that.

From Saxon times up to the medieval period, it was normal to use the reverse cross as a cutting guide to produce a halfpenny of which this Henry III long cross is a typical example.

Next up is the Commonwealth halfpenny, the last hammered silver halfpenny produced in this country.

Third is a so-called Pinecone-Mascle issue halfpenny of Henry VI, the name derived from the presence of pinecone and mascle (diamond) symbols in the legend.

4th is a 1694 William & Mary halfpenny with GV of GVLIELMVS struck over a B - the engraver presumably starting the reverse legend in error.

5th is an Edward I class 7 halfpenny.

[Rob 3,152]

1st is an Elizabeth I 7th issue halfpenny.

The basic design was carried over into the following reign of James I where it was used for the first couple of initial marks - thistle & lis.

From James I rose onwards, a revised design was used with the English rose on one side and the Scottish thistle on the other.

Although strictly a penny, the debased issues of Edward VI and Philip & Mary were used as halfpennies on account of their reduced silver content. This example was struck at York.

The final piece is a James I with the initial mark cinquefoil current from 1613-5. This issue coincided with the granting of the Harington patent for copper farthings. As a result, the production of silver small change virtually stopped. I can only recall seeing 2 examples with this mark in the past 10 years.

 

[Rob 3,152]

To appease the milled brigade, here is a P607, a W&M 1/2d struck in brass.

A 1718 struck in silver. As I noted on this forum 8 or 10 years ago, this coin is the subject of a typo in Peck. Footnote 1 says the coin weighed 157.3 grains, was 26.5mm diameter, had 2 file cuts on the edge and was somewhat worn. This matches the description in all bar the weight which is not 157.3, but 115.7 grains. i.e. the typesetter used the first 1 of the weight as being footnote 1. It came out of Baldwin's basement.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Rob

[Rob 3,152]

Edward IV heavy coinage halfpenny with i.m. rose. The copious quantities of wax stem from this coin's illustration in Whitton's BNJ article where it was pl.11. no.12.

Gold restrike type R64 by Taylor.

Henry VIII halfpenny struck under Archbishop Edward Lee at the episcopal mint at York as denoted by the letters E L beside the bust. Dates to 1531-44.

[Paulus 1,975]

A feast Rob, thanks

Edited February 27, 2016 by Paulus

[Rob 3,152]

Henry VII 1st issue with the half rose and lis mark (below). Priced roughly the same as H8 halfpennies (above) in Spink, you will see dozens of the latter for every one of these. Quite chuffed with this one, ex-Shuttlewood.

.........

[Michael-Roo 781]

Lovely display Rob. I particularly like those two William & Mary ones you have there but then they've always been a favourite of mine. Did the one struck in brass come from the Nicholson collection? 

Speaking of William & Mary: here's a variety rarely seen in any condition.

 

[Rob 3,152]

I've got Nicholson's and have had another as well. Peck's own coin was in Baldwin's basement and well worth getting when it comes around again.

The brass one was also Nicholson's. The other example in the BM is horrible.

[Rob 3,152]

I got this 1861 for the obverse die, which seemed to present quite a problem in a good grade.

Henry V halfpennies can be identified by the broken annulets beside the head

 

[Paulus 1,975]

My only 1861 halfpenny is this pathetic grade Freeman 5+G 1 over higher 1 in date (is the attribution ok?)

 

[rooneydog 9]

10 hours ago, Rob said:

To appease the milled brigade, here is a P607, a W&M 1/2d struck in brass.

A 1718 struck in silver. As I noted on this forum 8 or 10 years ago, this coin is the subject of a typo in Peck. Footnote 1 says the coin weighed 157.3 grains, was 26.5mm diameter, had 2 file cuts on the edge and was somewhat worn. This matches the description in all bar the weight which is not 157.3, but 115.7 grains. i.e. the typesetter used the first 1 of the weight as being footnote 1. It came out of Baldwin's basement.

 

I got one of these in a job lot - looks like someone has tested it for silver 

 

[Michael-Roo 781]

 

Here's an unusual one. A 1694 on which most of the exergue line is absent.

 

[RLC35 288]

Here is my contribution to the Half Penny Thread! 

 

[Michael-Roo 781]

For the sake of keeping this ticking along here's another picked at random….

1730. Geogivs error. No stop after Britannia.

 

[scott 144]

7 over 6?

some oldies

a 1 over (farthing) 1