Hibernia Copper Halfpence 1722-1724
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1722 Martin 4-Bb Hibernia halfpenny
Obverse: GEORGIUS . DEI . GRATIA . REX .
Reverse: . HIBERNIA . 1722 .
Weight: 113.3 g (7.34 grams) Diameter: 27.3 mm
Comments: This is a variety of Nelson 3 and Breen 144. The obverse is the most common form with a central stop above the head. There are die cracks, as from the center of the letter X to the bust, from a denticle above the G moving down toward the neck and from the hair moving down between the letters G and E. There are also many small cracks, as the dot below the R in REX and another in the top bow of that same R, there are several around George's nose and in the plain field. Some letters were also poorly punched in the die, as the top of the E in DEI, the top of the S is also weak and the cross stroke on the G in GRATIA (which should go to the right) is missing giving the letter the appearance of a C.
The reverse is the 1722 harp to the left version and is easily identified by the eight harp strings. There is a die crack from the end of the R to Hibernia's head. There are also several smaller cracks as the dot under the bow in the letter R and the more visible crack from the bottom of the first leg of the A. A small punch problem can be spotted as the end of the first 2 in the date is slightly broken off.
Provenance: From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.
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1722 Martin 4-Bb Hibernia halfpenny
Obverse: GEORGIUS . DEI . GRATIA . REX .
Reverse: . HIBERNIA . 1722 .
Weight: 107.5 g (6.96 grams) Diameter: 27.7 mm
Comments: This is a variety of Nelson 3 and Breen 144. The obverse is the most common form with a central stop above the head. The reverse is the 1722 harp to the left version and is easily identified by the eight harp strings. This provides an example of one of many varieties that can be found within a single die combination as mentioned in the introduction to this section. In relation to the previous example note that the G in GEORGIUS starts well below the bottom lock of hair while on the previous example the G is much closer to the hair; also the stop after REX is much closer to the bust than in the previous example. Additionally the letter punches vary, note the T in GRATIA has a wedge shape serif at the bottom while in the previous example it has a straight serif. Also note the bust is from a different device punch. This bust has longer ribbons and no bow while the previous example has two shorter ribbons with a large bow above. On the reverse note that the letter R is directly above Hibernia's head while on the previous example her head is aligned with the space between the E and the R. Also the reverse letter punches vary, again note the wedge shaped serifs on the H and the I while in the previous example the serifs were straight.
Provenance: From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.
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1722 Martin 4-Be Hibernia Halfpenny
Obverse: GEORGIUS . DEI . GRATIA . REX .
Reverse: . HIBERNIA . 1722 .
Weight: 115.2 g (7.46 grams) Diameter: 27.1 mm
Comments: This is a variety of Nelson 3 and Breen 144. The obverse is the most common form with a central stop above the head. The reverse is the 1722 harp to the left version and is easily identified by the eleven harp strings. This is a third example of variations on the 4-B die combination. On the obverse note the hair ribbons differ from the other two examples, this being closer to the 107.5 grain example displayed above (the second 4-Bb) but having thicker ribbon ends that do not curl up as much as in the other example. There is a gash in the coin at the neck into the legend and a scratch from the head to the rim near the G. The reverse shows the eleven harp strings and has a die break between the 22 in the date.
Provenance: Donated to Notre Dame in 1887 as part of a 2,300 item coin collection (see: The Notre Dame Scholastic, vol. 21 (September 1887) 45.
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| Hibernia Coppers: p.1 | Section Contents | Hibernia Coppers: p.3 |
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