I have seen a couple of these,but Not like this.Something looks odd. Is it a first 1797 issue or what.Spelling does not look right either.What are these suppose to actually say anyway? As I had not really read it before but this one looks to say Georgios III or something.And what was the hold put there for? It looks to have been there on purpose or by the mint. Any ideas? Is it a mistake coin? thanks
jc: yes, George III. No, not a mint error. Coins were commonly holded for stringing together for security, to help prevent losing them.
I agree about the mint error. However,as far as I am aware of, no-one in 19th century England walked around with cartwheels on strings. Think about how hard it would be to drill through one ! It's more likely that this was used as a weight, as the penny and two pence weighed 1 and 2 ounces respectively.
