1853 proof halfpenny

[oldcopper]

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.

 

[Rob]

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.

[oldcopper]

https://www.spink.com/lot/340000107

Thanks Rob, though it doesn't seem to want to open for me. Am I doing this right?

[oldcopper]

Sorry, it has just opened after I submitted the above message. Geronimo!

[Rob]

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. 

[Unwilling Numismatist]

I have to say @Rob, thats one gorgeous proof!

[oldcopper]

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.

[Chingford]

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.

 

[oldcopper]

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!).

[Chingford]

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.