Interesting replica 1723 "Peter Rosa" Rosa Americana Penny Part I

Working on a new research project starting with a couple of "not genuine" examples!

The 1st images are of a pair of uniface casts attributed to Peter Rosa and sold in a 2012 Stack's auction, described as "Copper-Plated Lead Impressions. Uncirculated. Subdued peach-copper mint "color" on the plated sides, the reverses show minor handling marks and impressions of the implement into which each planchet was squeezed".



Details I took notice of are the centered "strike" and heavy distinct dentals. In addition is a defect to the right of the "E" of UTILE and a rather defective looking "E" in AMERICANA- I nicknamed it the broken E and haven't seen it on any genuine examples, although I am told this is attributed as a 1723 Martin 2.7-Eb.3. I have included an image of a genuine one as a comparison. I understand any indication of "mint red" color is unusual on genuine Rosa Americana Pennies...



Genuine NGC graded AU 55 image courtesy Heritage Auctions; there is a different defect on the "E" of UTILE and the "E" of AMERICANA is complete:



Both show the "double cut A" of GRATIA as seen on this variety.

The next example is one I purchased through an internet site associated with Peter Rosa.



It has the same centering and deep dentals as well as the defect to the right of "E" and the "broken E" as the uniface examples. This one is described as "copper plated lead free fine pewter" with a diameter of 26mm; I measured the weight as 112.7 grains.

I am curious what the source coin may have been and if anyone has seen a genuine example with a similar "broken E"?

More to come...

Thanks, Jack.

 

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Jack, I actually have a genuine 1723 Rosa Americana in a PCGS slab. It's graded XF Details, due to a scratch (which appears to me to be 200+ years old).

Unfortunately, I cannot access it right now (we had some interior work done on the house in November & I put some stuff up in a safe place, & it's still there). Will try to recover it soon.

In the meantime, looking forward to your continuing saga...

 

Another image of the "E" I am looking for on the left, a known genuine example on the right!

 

I bought this one about 40 years ago. I had it graded by NGC who called it an AU-58. It appears to have the complete "E."

 

Here's mine. Doesn't look anything like what you're researching Jack.

 

Both are very nice- thank you for posting!

 

Syd Martin doesn't say anything about the E on this variety in his rosa Americana book, and in die states only lists perfect. The plate coin in his book had the normal E as well.

 

Interesting. Please explain more about how these were produced.
TD

 

Thank you; I do not have his book and that is great information!

 

The last example is my pewter cast, copper plated electro. I have asked the site where this reproduction is sold if they have any idea what the original "source" example was but have not received a response.

 

After further review looks like I should call it the broken "ER"...

 

Mine appears normal

 

I am still confused. Is it a cast copy or an electrotype?
TD

 

A friend noted the "defects" appear to be the result of strike bifurcation, like my 1794 S-28 large cent exhibits:



I understand Rosa used genuine examples to make his dies, so this may well be a strike irregularity unique to the source coin used.

 

Stacks describes the uniface examples as "copper plated lead impressions"; I do not see any of the surface defects on these as I do on a similar cast example, but that is actually the next part of this saga.

My low cost example appears to be an electrotype with a noticeable edge seam.

 

Jack, Thanks for sharing your findings on the ROSA AMERACANA fake penny by Peter Rosa. I can't help but think that Peter Rosa was having some fun making this fake; there is an obvious pun with his name & the name of the penny . Peter Rosa is best known for making copies & forgeries of ancient coins & he was good at it. Rosa started his own business in 1955 in the Bronx, NYC, & was able to make a comfortable living making copies & fake ancient coins . He named his business Becker Manufacturing Company, after the most famous coin forger Carl Wilhelm Becker (1772-1830). Rosa was selling his copies & fakes for $1.50 - $3.00 each. When I was "young & dumb", about 50 years ago, I unknowingly bought a Rosa fake denarius for $15.00 from a coin dealer in Rochester, NY . In the year 2001 I bought a copy of Classical Deception by Wayne G. Sayles, & much to my horror, I spotted a photo of a denarius just like my coin on page 175 ! Yup, my denarius was a Rosa fake . Pictured below is a photo of my coin along with the photo in Wayne's book, & a photo of a genuine denarius for comparison.



RIC 0013a, Sear 7184. A genuine Geta denarius.

 

Great information @Al Kowsky ! Thank you for the response!