Thank you. I see it!
I'll put that information in my database, where it should have been all along.
It may be that some readers are not familiar with the term Evasions.
In 18th Century England, there was a great shortage of copper coins. To fill the gap (and to make a bob or two), some individuals began making counterfeit pieces, These looked much like the real Mint products (and could be made profitably if sufficiently underweight). Many began to appear in commerce. Collectors of these old phonies now refer to these pieces as "Contemporary Counterfeits".
Laws were passed making it very serious offense to make or pass copies of the King's money.
Ah, but some sneaky people had a plan. Why not make money that didn't look like official stuff.
In the 1770's, real English copper pieces had King George's image and "GEORGIVS III" on the obverse; "BRITANNIA" (and her image) and the date on the reverse.
To evade counterfeiting charges, some enterprising people made copper pieces with other images and legends on the obverse (Isaac Newton, William Shakespeare, etc), and any-old-thing legends (BRITISH TARS, GOOD SAVE THE KING, etc) on the reverse. These pieces were often accepted as real money by the illiterate classes.
These 'not copies' are called Evasions.
I've left out much. Please feel free to make corrections or additions.
Posted 03/18/2012 2:32 pm
Bill . . I don't know anything about these but it looks like you have a knack for finding the errors. Thanks for sharing and show us more of what you collect.
