1723 Pattern Woods Hibernia Farthing. Martin 3.2-Bc.10, W-12500. Rarity-5. Silver. Specimen-64 (PCGS).This is a wonderfully original piece with a delicate patina of peach and ivory hues. The fields are smooth and considerably reflective, framing the brilliant and satiny luster that emphasizes the devices. A touch of pewter-grey indicates the high points, and the peripheries are accented by steel-blue and olive iridescence. Well centered and free from distracting marks of any sort. Woods Hibernia farthings in silver were once considered to be incredibly rare, and Eric P. Newman had marked his own as "probably unique" at some point in the early 20th Century. However, a small hoard of about two dozen pieces came out of hiding in England during the late 1950s. First brought to light by Baldwins of London, the pieces were housed in a silver tube with silver halfpenny ends; the group had descended directly from the Wood family into the hands of Albert Baldwin, whose firm then dispersed the lot. We later offered the silver tube with silver halfpenny ends in our September 2009 Americana Auction.PCGS Population: 8; 7 finer.
