Does this British 1745 LIMA Half Crown Look Authentic?

[Halfcrowned]

I'm fairly new to coins, and the only reason I ask is because the size of this in hand is a bit bigger than my other half crowns of the period, which all seem to be around 32-33mm. It seems to sit at around 34-34.5mm. It weighs 15/16grams on my (cheap!) kitchen scales, is non magnetic, and has the correct side inscription - DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI DECIMO NONO.

[Paddy]

Welcome @Halfcrowned

I would love to give a definitive answer, but the books are very sparce on dimensions for the 18th century coins. There is always some variation in size, but 34.5mm does seem big. My 1745 halfcrown is almost exactly 33mm.

By the way, this thread appears in "Decimal Coins", which may make it more unlikely that the specialists in this area will see it. Maybe @Chris Perkins can move it to a more suitable section?

 

[Halfcrowned]

Hi @Paddy, thanks for your response. I think I'll have to do my best to look into it further. I've posted this on a few places and the feedback has been mixed really - some outright say fake due to the toning/colour, some say it looks perfect, some say 34.5mm is right on, some have told me the sizing is suspicious. 

Not sure why this is in Decimal Coins, not where I had intended it to go! Still getting to grips with the forum. @Chris Perkins If you could move it I would be greatly appreciative, if not just let me know and I'll delete and repost in the correct place

[Rob]

Slightly spread flan. Look at the teeth at 12 & 6 compared to 3 & 9. Check the edge at the wider points because the collar may have come apart at this/these point(s). Any filing present in this area to make it look aesthetically more pleasing?

[Rob]

Just now, Rob said:

Slightly spread flan. Look at the teeth at 12 & 6 compared to 3 & 9. Check the edge at the wider points because the collar may have come apart at this/these point(s). Any filing present in this area to make it look aesthetically more pleasing? Usually the collar if fitted shows as a vertical line, but not sure if it applies in this instance because the Castaing edge roller would still have been in use.

 

[Citizen H]

these are ones I have, may be a useful comparison.....  👍

some more info,

Composition Silver (.925)

Weight 15.05 g

Diameter 34 mm

Thickness 1.9 mm

Orientation Coin alignment ↑↓

 

Edited May 7 by Citizen H

[Peckris 2]

On 5/6/2026 at 9:24 PM, Halfcrowned said:

I'm fairly new to coins, and the only reason I ask is because the size of this in hand is a bit bigger than my other half crowns of the period, which all seem to be around 32-33mm. It seems to sit at around 34-34.5mm. It weighs 15/16grams on my (cheap!) kitchen scales, is non magnetic, and has the correct side inscription - DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI DECIMO NONO.

Difficult one. The obverse looks good - VF I'd say - but I do have some problems with the reverse, which looks somewhat too detailed for a coin of this grade. Having said that, this type did have a wider/thicker/more protective rim on the reverse compared to the obverse, so it may be kosher. If it is, then you have a very nice coin.  

[Rob]

The reverse die fields tend to be more convex than the obverses are concave on the earlier fields. Whatever, they aren't planar, so reverses tend to be better. Think C2 crowns as well. 

[Halfcrowned]

Thanks for your help all, I really appreciate it. I've done some detailed research and taken measurements and will make a new post in the correct subforum soon, but your help has been invaluable.

 

@Citizen H From examining your photos, your half crown is the same shape as mine - slightly oval, being wider from 9pm to 3pm than it is tall from 12 to 6pm. It would be really helpful if you could just confirm that? I've done some research and found that a large number of LIMA half crowns, along with a few standard half crowns from 1745-1746, actually have this very slight oval shape. Only by about a millimetre or a millimetre and a half, but noticeable once you know.

 

@Rob I think you're absolutely right about the spread flan, and I see what you mean about the teeth. This is measuring 33.2mm from 12 to 6pm and 34.4 from 9 to 3pm. I cant see any filling or aesthetic differences in the edge, but as I mentioned above, from research and looking at many 1745 half crowns, I've noticed this slight oval shape to be quite prevalent. Does that track with any of what you might know, or have seen? I handled a LIMA from another collection that was oval and almost exactly the same measurements, down to the .xx millimetre