1787 Machins Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 18-87C, W-7930. Rarity-4. GEORGIVS III, Group III. Spread Planchet. EF-45 (PCGS).28 mm. 117.2 grains. Attractive chestnut brown, the color nearly perfect, the highest points of the central devices worn to a lovely olive tan. Struck from the late, but not latest states of this die pairing, the central motifs crisply and fully struck, the tops of all letters and numerals weak to nonexistent. Almost all of the "Spread Planchet" Machins Mills halfpence are struck from late states of the dies, though according to Marcus Mayhughs 2012 <em>C4 Newsletter</em> article on Spread Planchets, not necessarily every one is struck from a late die state. The Spread Planchets have proven a conundrum in the Machins Mills series and remain incompletely understood. Best known and seemingly most common in the 21-87D die pairing, the spread planchets are larger (about 28mm or a bit more) and seem to be associated with later die states. It has been posited that they were struck without a retaining collar (though there is no clear evidence that one was in use at Machins Mills), or that the planchet stock for these was either larger or softer, encouraging spread. We summarized the Spread Planchet issue in an offering of a Vlack 21-87D example in our January 2010 Americana Sale: "The 21-I-87D-I variety represents the rare late state of this die pairing struck on wide planchets or soft planchets that spread widely during striking, perhaps wholly unrestrained by any collar. Given the consistency of the die state-planchet combination, this was most probably a remarriage of the dies at a time wholly separate from the striking of the early die state, 21-II-87D-II pairing." The association of die state with a remarriage with a planchet stock seems quite sensible, and the few anomalies of late die states on non-spread planchets or early die states on spread planchets can be explained as mixed up planchet stock. One nuance that we have not seen discussed before is the possibility that the larger planchet stock had upset rims, which robbed some of the metal flow from the outer extremities of the peripheral legends and date. The debate will rage on, but one thing is certain: this is an exquisite example both for the die combination and the die state-planchet style, one of only a few survivors of the Spread Planchet type in this die pairing.From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
