1773 Virginia Halfpenny. Newman 13-V, W-1640. Rarity-7. No Period After GEORGIVS, 8 Harp Strings. MS-62 BN (PCGS).A very rare "not in Newman (1956 ANS)" variety that was first discovered by Ted Craige and brought to the attention of the numismatic community in the April-June 1962 edition of the <em style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;font-size:9pt;box-sizing:border-box;">Colonial Newsletter</em>. Craige turned up the second example of the variety as well and that is the coin offered here. In his wide-reaching and decades-long survey of Virginia halfpenny die variety appearances, Roger Moore had identified just eight examples of Newman 13-V as of the publication of his book <em>The Coins of Colonial Virginia</em> in 2019. Most of the small pool of examples are in Mint State, suggesting this variety probably owes all or most of its existence to the Cohen hoard. This piece has strong luster and lots of mint red remaining. The technical grade is held back by some splashes of darker toning on both sides, but the appearance remains impressive especially considering the rarity of the variety.PCGS# 913401.From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex Ted Craige, December 1966; Heritages sale of the W. Philip Keller Collection, October 2010, lot 3137.
