1103

1781 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Newman 43-81D. 122.4 grains.

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:25.00 USD Estimated At:NA
1781 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Newman 43-81D. 122.4 grains.
SOLD
130.00USD+ buyer's premium (26.00)
This item SOLD at 2024 Jan 20 @ 20:03UTC-6 : CST/MDT
1781 Counterfeit George III British Halfpenny, Newman 43-81D. 122.4 grains.Very Fine, the reverse closer to an EF grade, the obverse with some unfortunate pockmarks. Full legends and date, and strong design detail, quite a bit sharper than the Ringo or Syd Martin examples in this respect. Dark olive, the surfaces a bit matte like, the obverse with severe pockmarks across the surface, while the reverse is completely free of them (perhaps a coin that spent some time in the ground, the obverse side in contact with moisture while the reverse was not). Both sides have numerous light hairline scratches on the central devices, though these are toned down to the surface color and not as noticeable. This example hails from the Eric P. Newman collection and comes with his handwritten envelope, and was a duplicate in his collection. Long before the Newman coins were sold at auction, Mike Ringo was allowed to purchase a few duplicates from Eric, in thanks for the help he gave in the research and writing of the article on these; Eric’s primary coin was a near-EF with lovely surfaces, so this was an easy duplicate for him to sell. It was harder for Mike to decide which to keep for himself, this sharper one with the problematic obverse or the more even Fine that was in the sale of his collection, though being a surface-over-sharpness guy, Mike chose to keep the Fine and sell this one to Neil. Accompanied by Eric Newman’s original handwritten envelope, where he had noted M.R. on it, as well as the fact he bought it from the London firm of Baldwin’s in 1975; the original Baldwin’s envelope is included as well. As Mike Ringo passed away before the Newman sales occurred, there are only a handful of coins that can boast a Newman-Ringo provenance!