Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Auctions    
       

       

                             



Sale 31: The Pre-Long Beach Auction May 30 - June 1, 2005
             

             
            Lot 2305Great Britain. Proof silver Halfpenny, 1717. George I. Style 
            of S-3659, the "Dump" issue (but Proofs not listed in Spink). 
            Peck-771 (listed as "very rare"). 27 mm diameter. Inverted die 
            alignment. The first two years of the new copper halfpenny coinage, 
            1717 and 1718, comprised the very first of the modern-style 
            planchets, or flans, which provided a more uniform appearance. Mint 
            master Isaac Newton had caused much delay in earlier attempts to 
            bring forth a uniform copper coinage, seeking a high level of copper 
            "purity" as he called it, than had previously been possible: coppers 
            of earlier reigns had a variety of troubles and additions, from 
            heavy black streaks to plugs meant to increase intrinsic value, but 
            none had proven satisfactory as a circulating medium. Newton must 
            have been proud of these new coins, which because they were on 
            small, thick flans (which changed by 1719) have been called "dump 
            issues" by generations of numismatists. A beauty of a coin! Bright 
            silvery gray surfaces, with an incredibly bold impression of the 
            dies (remember, this was made in 1717, more than 70 years before 
            Boulton and Watt's steam-press coins). The outer circle on each side 
            is deeply struck, each surrounded by a gigantic row of long 
            denticles reaching to the coin's edge. Some reflectivity remains in 
            the fields, producing a captivating eye-appeal! A major rarity in 
            this condition, probably the finest known. NGC graded Proof 64. 
            Estimated Value $3,600-4,000. 

            Provenance: The Cheshire Collection.


          








Courtesy Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers, Beverly Hills, CA. www.goldbergcoins.com