United Kingdom 1777 Halfpenny?

It's a contemporary counterfeit (imitation) or evasion halfpenny of George III.

The date is "1771". Obverse legend is perhaps GREGORIVS III PON / reverse BRITAN RULES (which would be Atkins 341 in the catalogue) instead of the expected GEORGIVS III REX / BRITAN NIA

They were more often than not underweight and artificially struck in such a manner as to resemble very worn regal coins, but with impossible dates/garbled legends to avoid anti-counterfeiting laws.

These coins are collectible and interesting, and there are a very large number of varieties (Atkins listed almost 500; doubtless a hundred-odd more are known now and many haven't even been discovered or listed yet in Cobwright or other updated works.)

Oh, by the way

to CCF & thank you for sharing with us.

FYI -- Here is a "1730"-dated evasion halfpenny from my collection, done in the style of a genuine George II halfpenny. Catalogue: Atkins #156. Obverse reads GEORGE RULES / reverse reads BRITAINS ISLES. The letters "I.C" appear below the bust on this and several other issues, but no one has yet been able to figure out why; perhaps they were an engraver or die-sinker's initials or had some other meaning that has been lost to time.

These evasion issues are in some cases worth as much as or more than Regal issues. Was there anything else neat in that old tin?

1853 is one of the more common dates for the Gothic florins, of which I am quite a fan.