1773 Virginia Halfpenny. Newman 23-Q, W-1560. Rarity-3. Period After GEORGIVS, 7 Harp Strings. MS-63 RB (PCGS).Lightly toned in gray-brown, both sides also reveal considerable bright orange color that is most vivid when viewed with the aid of a direct light source. Border denticulation is incomplete on both sides, but the impression is generally well centered and all major design elements are boldly to sharply defined. Although the April 10, 1606, charter that King James granted to Virginia gave the colony coinage privileges, it was not until December 20, 1769, that the Virginia House of Burgesses passed an act allocating money for the minting of copper coins in Britain. The act was the result of increasing pressure from tradesmen in the colony who sought copper coins to be used in commerce, as the mix of English, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch pieces in use at the time was seen as inadequate. The final design was approved in 1772, and on May 20, 1773, the English crown authorized the coinage of halfpennies for Virginia. The coins were struck in the Royal Mint in the Tower of London. The Virginia halfpence are, in fact, the only coins authorized and produced in England for use in an American colony.
