'1774' 1/2P Machin's, Vlack 7-74A, BN MS(PCGS#826949)

Spring 2023 U.S. Coins Auction

拍卖行

Stack's Bowers

批号

1102

等级

VF Details

价格

28,814

详细说明

Fascinating 1774 Machin's over 1785 Confederatio 1774 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 7-74A, W-7770. Rarity-6-. GEORGIUS III, Group I--Struck over 1785 Confederatio Copper--VF Details--Environmental Damage (PCGS). 134.0 grains, 29.4mm x 30.0mm. An exciting and memorable piece, as described in its initial appearance in our (Stack's) January 2008 Americana Sale: "The consignor, a Pennsylvania numismatist, found this coin in a junk lot in 2007, and with much perseverance, correctly matched up the undertype as the 1785 Inimica Tyrannis Americana/Confederatio copper with small circle of stars, the type of Breen 1124. This must indeed have been a challenge, given the surfaces, which are generally hard and dark brown in tone, with abundant dark red and a lesser quantity of green corrosion on both sides and the edge. Enough of the surface area of the coin is fortunately smooth enough to discern the undertype. On the obverse we note most of the word AMERICANA starting below the rightmost flap of George's epaulette and continuing counter-clockwise toward the R of REX, the second I of INIMICA between the first and second flaps of the epaulette, and what initially appears to be a thick scratch above EX of REX is in actuality the exergual line upon which the Indian stands! On the reverse, the distinct, thick inner circle and the rays of the Confederatio reverse are clearly visible at the center, and the letters NFEDER of CONFEDERATIO are visible to some degree with concentration and a good light. Before striking, the Conferatio must have been softened by annealing, allowing the coin to spread to about 30mm with the Machin strike; in fact, we see beyond the denticles on both sides of the Machin, whereas usually little of the denticulation is visible on any Vlack 7-74A. By comparison, Ford's 1785 Small Circle Confederation measures 27.9 mm. Collectors of colonials are abundantly familiar with overstrikes, such as the ubiquitous New Jersey coppers over Connecticuts, Vermonts over Nova Constellatio coppers and counterfeit halfpence, Connecticuts over Nova Constellatios, etc. As some coppers fell from favor as the 1780s wore to a close, they were used as planchet stock for coppers that were well regarded, such as the New Jersey copper, which is extremely rare to nonexistent as a host coin. Less well known are the scarce to rare types that served as hosts for other colonials, such as the George Clinton copper under a NJ Maris 56-n (ex Ford), the Immunis Columbia under a George Clinton copper (ex Garrett), and the recently discovered 1785 Immune Columbia that hosts a 1776 Vlack 6-76A Machin's Mills halfpenny (see The C4 Newsletter, Summer 2006). The Machin's Mills halfpence are extremely rare struck over other coins, but are more commonly found as the undertypes of other Colonial types. For the Machin's Mills series, Mossman in Table 30 cites only the dramatic 1776 V.6-76A over a brass counterfeit Pistareen of the Pretender Charles III, and a 1771 V.2-71A over a 1774 Vlack 8-74A. The present coin is a delicacy wrapped up in a rarity. The 1774 V.7-74A Machin is the only 1774 to feature a "U", instead of the normal "V", in GEORGIVS, and is a rarity unto itself. Machin's Mills halfpence struck over other colonials, as we see, are extremely rare. The host coin, the 1785 Confederatio copper with Standing Indian on the obverse, however, is a true delicacy and colonial coin collector's dream that becomes available only when great collections like Ford, Norweb, Roper, Garrett and Laird Park come to market. Less than 10 of the Small Circle reverse, as here, are known; the Ford specimen brought nearly $30,000 four years ago and would bring even more today. Parting with a more modest sum, the next owner of this coin will be able to add this unique Machin-Confederatio combination to his or her cabinet." Provenance: From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from our (Stack's) January 2008 Americana Sale, lot 5757. Plated in The History and Coinage of Machin's Mills by Howes, Rosen, and Trudgen, 2020, p. 126. To view supplemental information and all items from the Sydney F. Martin Collection, click here. PCGS# 826949. 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.