Ireland 1776 1/2 penny
This specimen was lot 33253 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2025), where it sold for $3,360. The catalog description[1] noted, "IRELAND. 1/2 Penny, 1776. London Mint. George III. PCGS MS-63 Brown. An EXTREMELY RARE date in the Irish Half Penny series, this tremendous example delivers Choice Mint eye appeal, with strong details and much charm. Mint red is retained in the protected areas of the design, with much glossiness sheening through. An example for which we can find no other parallel; indeed, the only public sale of a genuine example we are able to trace was almost twenty years ago, in 2006." As the Royal Mint in London could not keep up with the demand for English coinage, it is not surprising that issues for Ireland are scanty and few. This type was struck 1774-76, 1781-82. Proofs exist for some dates but not the 1776.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9.3 g, copper, 28 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: S-6614; KM-140.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of the Coins of Scotland, Ireland, Channel Islands & Isle of Man, London: Coincraft, 1999.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Man & Lundy), Pre-Decimal Issues, 2nd edition, London: Spink & Son, 2003.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2025 NYINC Showcase Auction, featuring the Richard Margolis Collection, Part III, and the Richard August Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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