1700 "1700" 1/2P Voce Populi - Blundered Date Half Penny

Coin Details

Auction Record

$5,875 AU50BN 11-16-2012 Stack's Bowers

Description

This Voce Populi halfpenny bears the date 1700, which is universally recognized as a blundered or erroneous date. All genuine Voce Populi coins were struck in 1760, and this "1700" date resulted from a die-cutting error where the digits "60" were inadvertently rendered as "00." The obverse features the laureate bust facing right, while the reverse shows the seated figure of Hibernia with her harp, accompanied by the VOCE POPULI legend meaning "Voice of the People." The blundered date creates one of the most fascinating varieties in the Voce Populi series, as it produces a coin that is sixty years older than it actually is. Voce Populi coins are Irish-American coppers that were produced in Dublin in 1760, by a private entrepreneur named Roche, and exported to the American colonies where they circulated alongside other small-denomination coppers. The coins derive their name from the prominent VOCE POPULI legend, a Latin phrase with democratic overtones that resonated with colonial Americans who were increasingly asserting their rights of self-governance. The blundered date variety is among the more recognizable and collected types in the series, as the error is dramatic and clearly visible even on lower-grade examples. It serves as a reminder of the human element in eighteenth-century die production, where individual letter and number punches were applied by hand to the working dies.

Rarity Notes

Rare. The blundered "1700" date variety is scarcer than the standard 1760-dated pieces and commands a significant premium.

Cross References

PCGS #274; Breen; Nelson; actual production date 1760; cf. PCGS #262 (No P), PCGS #268 (P Below)