Pictured is a 1740 George II Halfpenny that I arrived yesterday. Pursuant to Numismatic Notes and Monographs, No. 135, Coinage for Colonial Virginia, Eric P. Newman, (c)1956, pg.33, five George II Halfpenny specimens were discovered during the renovation of Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia; One dated 1738, the other dated 1740, and the remaining three undecipherable. Such a discovery confirms that at least one specimen of this type and year had been indeed in circulation sometime in Virginia's colonial times. IMO areas of red coloring is a bit off kilter for the specimen, as its condition appears rather worn as opposed to it having been weakly struck. I surmise that sometime in the specimen's past it may have been rubbed, dipped, or cleaned, and a patina has since formed. Any comments and thoughts, especially about the coloring aspects, are appreciated and welcomed! Thanks, kindly CheetahCats
Nice coin - and I agree with the color. Looks like someone cleaned(not sure how) it in the past. What is that spot above 1740? Nice old coin.
The coin has a lot of meat left on it, but I agree that the lighter patches of reddish color indicate it was either cleaned or somehow exposed to possibly a weak acid (vinegar?) during its lifetime.
Generally speaking, Regal Coins from Britain did not circulate very much in the American colonies as the Crown did not like to actually pay we lowly colonists in real money, like specie of gold, silver or copper from the London banks. Typically, we were issued letters of credit to use to buy finished goods that were drawn on a London bank since we were forbidden to start any banks of our own. Here in Virginia, tobacco planters and warehouses actually used chits issued in bushels of tobacco as a kind of currency. In the absence of most regals coins, the colonists, being good smugglers and traders often encountered LOTS of Spanish and Portugese coins from the other colonies in the carribean....hence the Spanish dollar becoming more or less a standard for everyday commerce. These dollars were cut into 8 bits or reales for smaller transactions. There was still a shortage for even smaller copper change and 3 attempts by the crown were made to supply us with them were made. The Woods Rosa Americana and later the failed Woods Hibernia coinage were dumped on us. As a rule a regal pound and its units were at a 2:1 ratio with colonial pounds, but even the Woods coins were so underweight, most were heavily discounted in everyday trade and generally not liked. Right before the American Revolution, the Virginia General Assembly got permission from the King and Parliament to have Virginia Half Pennies and even a Virginia Shilling made at the Tower Mint in London. These were made and shipped in late 1774 and arrived in 1775 just as the revolution was getting started and the Royal Governor of Virginia had most of them that had not been distributed, put in the attic of a court house where they remained until the late 1850s still sealed in their barrels. A Philadelphia antiques dealer purchased them and the family is still slowly releasing them. As to Regal coins from the period, I have found uncirculated versions on eBay and at Colin Cooke Coins in the UK for about $400-600 or so. There are only half pennies and farthings from this period until after the revolution and the Soho Watt milled coins in the late 1790s.
I forgot to add that some colonists made tokens and others made forgeries of copper coins just to get some small change to circulated. Other colonies like Massachusetts issued some of their own coins like Pine and Oak Tree Shillings or the Maryland Lord Baltimore 6d and shillings. NJ, NE and others issued some smaller coins too.
