1775 Machin's Mills 1/2 Penny - Variety or Fake?...

Hi,
Below are the pictures for my 1775 Machin's Mills half penny. I have looked and looked at the reference pictures in the 2026 Red Book as well as on the PCGS website. Mine looks a little bit different than the ones in the Red Book and PCGS site which make me suspect I either have a variety, I have a fake or I haven't looked hard enough.

Clearly, it's 1775, and I am pretty sure it's the GEORGVIS III, Group I.

However, when I look at the reference pictures for the obverse, Britannia is holding a sprig that curls up under the "N" in BRITIAN. The sprig in my coin sticks straight up and seems to poke the bottom of the "N."

Additionally, when I look at George on the reverse, he is wearing shoulder armor on his right shoulder which show epaulets (3 to 5 blocks depending on how you count them). Mine does also, but mine also shows two fine lines arching above those epaulets. None of the reference pictures I have seen, not even the AU50 sold at the Spring 2023 US Coins Auction (PCGS# 826950) show those 2 fine lines - it's just smooth above the epaulets.

Is this a fake or a variety or maybe I haven't looked hard enough?

 

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These can be and often are confusing. Many that have been called Machin's pieces over the years are now attributed to James Atlee or Bailey's New York mint. There is only one 1775 variety attributed to any of these sources and this isn't it. This one is definitely a counterfeit, just not one of these. This one is most likely one of the British made counterfeits, during the period counterfeits were most likely more common than the genuine coin and 1775 is probably the most common date of these. There are collectors of these other counterfeits and many have been classified but more remains unknown about them than is known.

 

Yea, definitely a counterfeit but I think all collectors of these British Copper Coins have a counterfeit one. The Copper British Half Penny was very common and accepted and that made them highly reproduced be private individuals. Many such counterfeits were created in America. Dies, casting and other methods were used. Some were made in England and imported. They circulated in both countries. 1775 is a very common date so an easy target to fake.
The Revolutionary War was in full force and counterfeiting is always used as a means to destabilize the country.