| Author |
 Replies: 17 / Views: 6,291 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
Hi everyone, I believe this 1774 British penny to be a contemporary counterfeit, but I'm not certain if it is a British piece or a North American specimen, such as a Machin's Mills half penny. Any help would be appreciated!   |
|
|
|
Moderator
 United States
16679 Posts |
It appears to be a Machin's issue. Note the triangular denticle's.
swcoin.ecrater.com
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
3499 Posts |
vermontensium- Awesome! Thanks! So this means that it is from colonial North America, right? I realize that my example is in pretty poor condition, but are these particularly rare or valuable?
|
|
Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
Yup, New York.
Yours has a little pitting from corrosion but is in pretty nice condition. Decent planchet as most 1774's were, and appears to have had a past cleaning but overall, very decent eye appeal IMO.
There are 3 varieties of this year with 2 being pretty scarce.
Not sure right off the bat which one yours is.
I have yours at a nice Fine.
swcoin.ecrater.com
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
vermontensium- Nice. Thanks for the help! I actually paid $1 for it today. DO you think that I did pretty well?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
I do not know....the reverse does not match any of the Machins Vlack #'s. V the branch in Britannia's right hand looks like no Machin reverse I've seen.....no?
Edited by amida17
11/13/2014 10:46 pm
|
|
Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
I will admit that Machin's Mills coinage is my area of least studied Post Colonial coinage but it is certainly not Regal and if I recall, even Evasion pieces don't have these shapes of denticle's.
Head scratch.
swcoin.ecrater.com
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Obviously not Regal. I would guess (truly a guess) Birmingham....another random bungtown copper?
Whatever it is, it is a GREAT buy for $1.00!
|
|
Moderator
United States
16679 Posts |
$1 - :o
swcoin.ecrater.com
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
100% not Machin's Mills. It is a contemporary counterfeit of British manufacture. It is possibly a part of the "Coin Y" family.
It is in average circulated condition. Worth approximately $10-$20.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
1351 Posts |
Maybe worth $10-20 in the US.
Approx 75% of copper circulating cu in the UK at this time was snide.
Dealers shift most of this stuff for £1 and won't buy it.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
jerseyben- Thanks for the help! Out of curiosity, what are the major indicators that this piece is British and not North American? Also, why is it that so few dealers in the UK would want to touch contemp. counterfeits?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1211 Posts |
IMO, that is not an accurate statement. They are just quite common in the UK, as that is where they originated. Their coinage is also much older overall so a coin from the 1700s in Europe is not considered terribly old. On the flipside, only a handful of US dealers will be interested in these either. It appeals to a specialized market so unless a dealer has personal interest, there is probably not a lot of money to be made by dealing in this series. Take a look at this site: http://www.novanumismatics.com/engr...t-halfpence/If you compare known varieties for the 1774 Machin's Mills, you will not find that your coin matches any of them. IMO, the style of your coin looks nothing like Machin's Mills pieces in general. For me, the easiest way to compare the varieties is to focus on the reverse "sprig" style and its position to "TAN". |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
jerseyben- Thanks for the help and the link. You're right that my example does not match any of those listed on the site. However, would you say that my piece is rather similar to coin featured in the link I posed above?
|
| |
Replies: 17 / Views: 6,291 |
Posted 11/13/2014 10:11 pm
