Undated (ca. 1652-1674) St. Patrick Farthing. Martin 4d.1-Gg.1, W-11500. Rarity-6. Copper. No C in QVIESCAT. Fine-12 (PCGS).

Warmly patinated in even copper-brown, the surfaces are pleasingly smooth with no handling marks of note. Both sides are lightly pitted, most pronounced at the lower right obverse. A tiny planchet pit on the reverse before the church is as made. A bit soft at the right obverse and left reverse peripheries, but suitably bold elsewhere in the context of the assigned grade. Martin 4d.1-Gg.1 is the only die pair that corresponds to the No C variety. With just over a dozen examples recorded, it is in the relatively common category as far as St. Patrick farthing die varieties go, but when its status as a Guide Book type and major variety in set registries is taken into consideration, the same number of survivors is a totally different story. Adding in the fact that a majority of those survivors are low grade, rough, or otherwise impaired, the demand for the few better grade examples of this significant variety becomes even more intense. We expect strong competition when this aesthetically pleasing coin in PCGS Fine-12 crosses the block.

PCGS# 902863. NGC ID: 2U3P.

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From the Sydney F. Martin Collection. Earlier ex John Agre and Dave Wnuck (Coin Rarities Online), December 2008; Jim LaSarre, December 2009.