1791 Washington Liverpool halfpenny. Baker-17, Musante GW-19, W-10650. AU-53 (PCGS).133.6 grains. Lettered edge. Glossy steel brown with underlying golden iridescent highlights. Well centered on the usual tight planchet, with full legends and the four-digit date all crisp and complete. The central devices on both sides are exceptionally bold for the issue, ranking in the top echelon of specimens seen. The usual oval of raised die texture is visible at the left side of the obverse, but no heavy marks or significant lines are present. Long accorded status as a fairly major rarity within the late 18th century Washingtoniana series, in recent years this issue has faded in popularity for an inexplicable reason; it is no less rare, nor less attractive, than it has been in the past. Given the lightly circulated grade of this issue, it seems likely that some proportion of these were mixed into kegs of Small Eagle and Large Eagle cents and circulated stateside. Whether this rare muling ever made it to the United States or not, it remains an issue that has been classically ranked high in desirability by American collectors.From the Archangel Collection. Earlier, from Stack’s sale of the Robison Collection, February 1982, lot 242.
