Hello everyone. I just recently purchased this 1775 George III half penny and am now wondering if it's counterfeit. Weight: 8.2g Diameter: 27mm-28mm
Certainly, looks real but here is the Numista page for it. ½ Penny - George III (1st issue) - United Kingdom – Numista
While I do not know for certain, I think there is a pretty good chance that it is indeed counterfeit. But that's not necessarily bad news. You see, I think it might be a contemporary counterfeit from the 1770s, which is just as collectible and likely worth just as much as a real one would be. There were lots of counterfeit George III coppers made at the time, due to the shortage of small denomination coinage in circulation.
I'd say counterfeit as the surfaces are bothersome to me. It may be contemporary but I can't be sure. Bruce
I used to own a lot of George III coins from patterns to forgeries and @lordmarcovan hit the nail on the head it is a contemporary counterfeit and there are many reasons why but the fastest test is to weight. The official coins were 9.7g to 10.1 g, Copper was at a peak and counterfeiters turned a profit by making their coins lighter. If it weighs less than 8.5 g which yours is at 8.2g it is a contemporary forgery , it certainly shows the wear as such. Bear in mind that whoever made it could have been executed for making it so my theory is that the heavier weights were likely the more conservative forgers. Great piece of history, congratulations! The value gap between fake and real is so slight not worth bothering about and from a historical perspective about 50% plus of the coins in the colonies ( you!) and in Great Britain were counterfeits at this time but people didn't care.
