Struck Copies of Colonial Coins and Related

"1773" Virginia Halfpenny. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Restrike. CWF Variety. Copper. As Made.

123.30 grains. In 1983 the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation decided to market struck copies of the Virginia halfpenny. Flans Birle from the Cornell and Birle Company was hired to make a master hub from which dies could be produced. Jim Nye from the Adriel Brothers Company was hired to produce the additional minting support materials, such as the stamping head, collars, cutoffs, etc. These were all sent to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation where the actual minting occurred under the direction of Mark Frankel. The planchets were obtained from W.E. Richards and are nearly pure copper. Mark Frankel does not recall any planchets being used which had been previously struck. The first hub was made with the letters CWF in relief placed under the shoulder of King George III, as here. Fewer than 5,000 copies were struck with this design. Soon after production began, an awareness of the Hobby Protection Act led to a change in the hub with the word COPY replacing CWF.

Estimate: $ 75