1747 Machins Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 1-47A, W-7660. Rarity-5. GEORGIVS II, Group II. AU-55 (PCGS).113.5 grains. An extraordinary example of the scarce and distinctive earliest dated Machins Mills halfpenny, probably the single finest known when taking both technical grade and strike quality into consideration. This piece displays a rarely seen full strike on the left facing obverse bust of George II, the only such portrait in the Machins series, showing an incomparable level of detail and giving a better sense of the die than any other specimen we have encountered. The vast majority of examples show severe weakness at the central obverse and little if any detail on the face. The reverse is similarly bold, just a bit soft on Britannias head which is still fully outlined. Not only was this coin blessed with an abnormally full strike, but also has survived the passage of time with just a light amount of wear across the high points and no notable marks or roughness. The surfaces are a somewhat glossy deep coffee-brown with some dark olive undertones. A fantastic piece for the collector wishing to assemble the highest quality date set possible of the fascinating Machins Mills halfpenny series.PCGS# 826933.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Heritages February 2008 Long Beach Signature Auction, lot 2953. Plated to illustrate the variety in The History and Coinage of Machins Mills by Howes, Rosen, and Trudgen, 2020, p. 105.
