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oldcopper

1853 proof halfpenny

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Has anyone else noticed something strange about Lot 107, the 1853 proof halfpenny, in Spink's recent U.S. Numismatic Collectors' Series 17th April 2018 (Auction 340)? Sadly, I cannot paste the images (as I have the computer savviness of a 4-year-old), but you can see it on Spink's Prices Realised section. Don't think I've ever seen a copper Vic Halfpenny with such obvious missing stops, sort of brings the "proof" description into question as well.

 

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If you copy and paste a link to it, then you don't have to worry about images. Go to the item and copy the address bar, then paste it into a reply on this thread.

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I certainly wouldn't want that as a proof, and I'm not convinced either. I have Norweb's 1853 proof copper halfpenny which has the stops all well struck up - see attached. A quick perusal of a few 1853 proof halfpennies listed show the dies don't match the bronzed proofs either. The SNC for Jan 2014 had an article by Peter Duff discussing the bronzed pieces. 

1853 proof halfpenny ex-Norweb.jpg

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I did enquire of Spink USA (before I noticed the missing stops!) and the coin is reverse upright, so it's not P1540. As we all know, the pennies, pre-1850 especially, suffer from missing stops, but to see it on a halfpenny is definitely unusual. Possibly it's a Bramah variety, I'll check when I get home. I ran through London Coins archive for 1853 halfpennies (currency and proofs) and all those photographed had complete stops.

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I have never seen anything recorded for a CHP1853 missing stops in Bramahs, Mangahas or Batty and I haven't noted anything read from other text or Auction. I would agree with Rob, not a proof, a couple of indicators would be doubling of the O in Victoria and the 8, LHS, in the date as seen on all the proof coins I have seen and studied.

 

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An interesting anomaly then, if the stops weren't filed off later (doesn't look that way though, clean fields where the stops should be) and I wouldn't have thought three blocked stops would suddenly appear without any intermediate stages being known. I hope the buyer appreciates it. Perhaps we'll see it slabbed at $3K in a couple of weeks at you-know-where. I agree that it's very unlikely to be a proof unless it was some pointless Mint trial (Excuse me, Mr Chief Engraver, I've missed out one and a half colons if that's OK. Yes, no problem!).

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1 hour ago, oldcopper said:

An interesting anomaly then, if the stops weren't filed off later (doesn't look that way though, clean fields where the stops should be) and I wouldn't have thought three blocked stops would suddenly appear without any intermediate stages being known. I hope the buyer appreciates it. Perhaps we'll see it slabbed at $3K in a couple of weeks at you-know-where. I agree that it's very unlikely to be a proof unless it was some pointless Mint trial (Excuse me, Mr Chief Engraver, I've missed out one and a half colons if that's OK. Yes, no problem!).

It does happen where Colons are missed, notable examples are the CP1841 REG, CP1843 REG, CP1849 REG. and CP1854, there are a couple of other examples where traces are found probably marking out the colon but failing to revisit to cut the full colon, again on Pennies, but this is a first I have seen on a CHP.

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