1773 Virginia Halfpenny. Newman 27-J, W-1585. Rarity-2. Period After GEORGIVS, 7 Harp Strings. MS-64 RB (PCGS).109.4 grains. This is a glorious near-Gem showing ideal execution and considerable pinkish mint luster across the surfaces. A patch of darker patina is noted at the top of King Georges head though this fails to draw the eye. The complexion is flashy and semi-prooflike, showcasing a well-centered strike and sharp definition overall. Evidence of clashing is visible in the obverse fields but notable abrasions are absent.<p>Newman 27-J is one of the more frequently encountered die marriages of the 1773 Virginia halfpenny and appears to have been well represented in the hoard of more than 5,000 Mint State examples once held by Col. Mendes I. Cohen of Baltimore, Maryland. Although the late Walter Breen offered several different stories for the background of this hoard, Michael J. Hodder (as related in Bowers Whitman Encyclopedia of Colonial and Early American Coins, 2009) believes that Cohen received the hoard from his father Israel I. Cohen upon the latters death in 1801. The Cohens were prominent in Baltimore banking, and it is likely that Israel obtained these coins through his business activities. The Cohen hoard was dispersed over an extended period of time beginning in 1875, and hundreds of examples were still held intact as late as the 1950s. Today, Mint State Virginia halfpence of all varieties and from all sources are widely dispersed, and offerings such as those in the present sale significant finds for high grade type collectors or colonial coin specialists.From the Cohasco Collection of Colonials formed by Sir Philip H. Snyder, circa 1963-68.
