1775 Contemporary Imitation Halfpenny Muling. George III Irish Obverse of 1766-69, George III-era English Reverse. Choice Very Fine.92.0 grains. A distinctive coin, both for the intensely spalled and broken obverse die as well as for the irrational muling of different types. Syd question this as cast?, but we have seen this obverse die used before, and its distinctive failure mimics the look of a cast coin, especially on poorly preserved pieces. This one is quite pleasing and high grade for the type, and though Syd believed this to be dated 1776, it is actually dated 1775, as confirmed by the specimen from this die pairing pictured on p.47 of <em>Contemporary Counterfeit Halfpenny & Farthing Families</em> as an example of what spalling looks like. A similar piece was lot 5987 in the January 2008 Ringo Sale, but its reverse die was different, and the date was invisible because of poor centering. A choice dark brown example of this eye-popping muling of dies.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Byron Hoke, September 1993.
