'1771' 1/2P Machin's Mills, BN MS(PCGS#448)

'1771' 1/2P Machin's Mills, BN MS (PCGS#448)

November 2020 U.S. Coins Auction

Lot Description: 1771 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 3-71B, W-7680. Rarity-5. GEORGIVS III, Group I. EF-40 (PCGS). 116.8 grains. A scarcer date for the type in superior condition. Well struck for an example of this usually deficient type, both sides exhibit universally bold to sharp detail. Overall smooth reddish-brown surfaces reveal only a trace of light pitting at the left reverse. Two thin, yet prominent die breaks below the bust. In our cataloging for the John "Jack" Royse specimen of the 1771 Vlack 3-71B (November 2012 Baltimore Auction, lot 6058), we noted: "This variety comes in EF but no better. The Kessler-Roper coin, other than its pits, might be the best of these to have sold publicly in the last three decades." Clearly this is fleeting bidding opportunity for the advanced student of the challenging Machin's Mills halfpenny series. Provenance: From our (Stack's) sale of the John L. Roper, 2nd Collection of Colonial & Early American Coins, December 1983, lot 280. PCGS# 448. Click here for certification details from PCGS. Image with the PCGS TrueView logo is obtained from and is subject to a license agreement with Collectors Universe, Inc. and its divisions PCGS and PSA.