1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana - VTILEDVLC

Coin Details

Auction Record

$14,400 AU58 11-26-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1722 Rosa Americana Halfpenny features the blundered reverse legend VTILEDVLC, where the two words of the motto VTILE DVLCI ("the useful with the pleasant") are run together without proper spacing. This die-cutting error makes the variety distinctive and immediately identifiable to collectors. The obverse displays the laureate bust of George I facing right with the royal legend, while the reverse shows the crowned Tudor rose with the garbled inscription. Such die blunders were not uncommon in eighteenth-century coinage production, where letterpunches were applied individually to the die by hand, and errors in spacing, letter orientation, or sequence occurred with some regularity. In the case of the Rosa Americana series, production took place at William Wood's Bristol works, where the die preparation was competent but not always precise. The VTILEDVLC variety represents one of the more notable blundered legends in the colonial American series and is sought by collectors who specialize in die varieties and engraving errors. Struck in Bath metal, the coin has the characteristic golden color of the series. The fact that coins were struck from this blundered die and distributed rather than being rejected indicates either that the error went unnoticed or that replacement dies were not readily available, and production quotas took priority over perfect legends.

Rarity Notes

Rare. The blundered VTILEDVLC legend makes this one of the more distinctive and sought-after 1722 halfpenny varieties. Fewer examples survive than the standard legend types.

Cross References

PCGS #98; Martin attribution; Breen; blundered legend variety; cf. PCGS #82 (correct UTILE DULCI), PCGS #85 (DEI GRATIA)