Undated (ca. 1652-1674) St. Patrick Farthing. Martin 2b.4-Fc.19, W-11500. Rarity-7. Copper. Sea Beasts Below King. AU-50 (PCGS).
85.1 grains. A charming and high quality piece with choice, original medium-brown surfaces. Sharp detail and the mostly smooth, hard metal allow for full appreciation and close study of the interesting and rather crude die work of this rare variety. An inexpertly placed splasher shows as multiple blobs sitting mostly below the crown. There are no contact marks to mention, just a small planchet flaw touching the outside of the harp that shows on the reverse church steeple as well, and there is actually a tiny opening through the coin within the flaw. Light natural planchet roughness at the centers, but overall just a nice, problem-free example with excellent detail. Martin 2-F die groups, obverse group 2 featuring objects below the king, traditionally called "sea beasts," and just colons or stops in the legends (no tricolons or stars), and reverse group F featuring tricolons in the legends. Martin recorded just three examples of this die variety and this is far and away the finest.
PCGS# 902849.
From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier from Spink's March 2016 sale, lot 853.