Machin's Mills Halfpenny
1778 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 12-78B, W-7830. Rarity-3. GEORGIVS III, Group III--Double Struck--VF-35 (PCGS).
106.4 grains. Second strike is about 50% off-center toward 9:00 on the obverse, the reverse oriented in such a way that the 1778 date from both impressions of the die survive clearly and boldly. Vlack 12-78B is often found with dies rotated about 20 degrees from regular coin turn; here the rotation is even greater, and is quite obvious given the double striking and the immobilization of the coin in the PCGS encapsulation. The dark glossy brown fields are hard if a trifle microscopically granular, with the high points of the designs and legends worn to a lovely light brown. Major errors in the Machin's Mills halfpenny series become available from time to time, but are not always so finely preserved as this one.
PCGS# 466 and #826953.
From the E Pluribus Unum Collection.
Estimate: $1500