1818 1/2 Crown - Counterfeit But Contemporary Or Modern

It looks like a contemporary counterfeit to me. You see quite a few of them in dealers' trays over here in the UK. I imagine there must have been an upsurge in counterfeiting just after 1816: members of the public would have been unfamiliar with the new coins, and the sudden deluge of new coins in circulation after a long coin shortage might have encouraged the counterfeiters.

Yes, as Paddy and Rob say, contemporary, and quite common. Fakes of the 1816-1820 issue shillings and sixpences are also often seen.
Here is an 1819 half crown I have, from which most of the sliver coating has worn away.

You see so many copper-alloy (as opposed to the white metal type) 1816-1820 George III contemporary counterfeit shillings/half crowns with zero or barely any trace of silvering - long past the point where they would've (should've?) fooled anyone... Along those lines, I've seen it suggested that at least some were intended as gaming tokens - similar to the

Any thoughts? If you think of the 1820s-dated imitations of sovereigns and double sovereigns - which clearly couldn't have fooled anyone into thinking they were gold - this might make some sense.

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