1788 Machin's Mills Halfpenny. Vlack 23-88A, W-8100. Rarity-2. GEORGIVS III, Group III. MS-62 BN (PCGS).

Surpassing anything else we've offered in recent years for this Vlack number, this coin delivers exceptional quality for an otherwise readily obtainable die pairing. Hard and frosty surfaces are free of detracting marks. The planchet is only trivially flawed with a few thin vertical striations bisecting the coin through the central and right reverse. Late die state with a gentle bulge on the obverse between the bow and ribbon ends, reverse with flowlines around the periphery. The strike is well executed, nonetheless, nicely centered with bold to sharp detail throughout. The finest of these appear to be the Garrett-Partrick coin in NGC MS-64 BN and the Newman specimen from the Stepney Hoard in NGC MS-63 BN, this despite a Condition Census of EF-40 to AU-50 published in the 2020 reference The History and Coinage of Machin's Mills by Jack Howes, James Rosen and Gary Trudgen. The offered coin is the single finest certified by PCGS, surpassing the previous title holder in the E Pluribus Unum specimen in AU-58 sold in our November 2020 Auction.

PCGS# 472. NGC ID: 2B48.

Estimate: $5000