1722 1/2P Hib - Harp Right - DEII Half Penny

Coin Details

Auction Record

$1,469 VF35BN 07-16-2020 Legend Rare Coin Auctions

Description

This 1722 Wood's Hibernia Halfpenny features the Harp Right obverse variety combined with the distinctive DEII error in the legend, where DEI (part of DEI GRATIA, "By the Grace of God") is misspelled with a doubled I. The obverse displays the laureate bust of George I facing right with the harp positioned to the right, accompanied by the blundered DEII GRATIA legend, while the reverse shows the seated figure of Hibernia (the female personification of Ireland) holding her characteristic harp. Wood's Hibernia coins were produced under the same royal patent held by William Wood that authorized the Rosa Americana series for America. The Hibernia coinage was intended for circulation in Ireland, but when the Irish vigorously protested the coins — most famously through Jonathan Swift's "Drapier's Letters" of 1724 — many were redirected to the American colonies where they circulated as small-denomination coppers. The DEII spelling error is a die-cutting blunder similar to the VTILEDVLC error on Rosa Americana coins, reflecting the challenges of hand-punching individual letters into steel dies. The Harp Right orientation (referring to the position of the harp on the obverse) is one of several die varieties known for the 1722 halfpenny. The coin is struck in copper at approximately 28mm diameter and was produced at Wood's Bristol works in England.

Rarity Notes

Rare. The DEII blundered legend combined with the Harp Right variety creates a distinctive and scarce die combination.

Cross References

PCGS #155; Breen; Nelson; Wood's Patent coinage; cf. PCGS #170 (Harp Right standard), PCGS #164 (Rocks Right)