1771 1771' 1/2P Machin's Mills Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Despite bearing the date 1771, this copper halfpenny was actually struck circa 1787-1790 at Thomas Machin's private mint near Newburgh, New York, as a lightweight imitation of the British George III halfpenny. Cataloged by Vlack and listed as Whitman 7620, the piece copies the familiar regal portrait and Britannia designs of genuine British copper coinage, with the backdated year adding to the illusion of authenticity. Machin's Mills operated along the Moodna Creek in Orange County, New York, established by Captain Thomas Machin — a former Continental Army engineer who had helped design the great chain stretched across the Hudson River at West Point during the Revolution — in partnership with several local investors. The minting operation produced imitation halfpennies of various dates (ranging from the 1740s through the 1780s) designed to pass alongside genuine British coppers in the small-change economy of the newly independent states. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 7.5 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #448. Classified as scarce, this 1771-dated issue is part of the broader Machin's Mills halfpenny series documented in the Vlack reference catalog. The deliberate use of pre-Revolutionary dates on these imitations served a dual purpose: it made the coins appear to be legitimate British imports that had circulated for years, and it distanced the pieces from the date of actual production, complicating any effort to trace them back to Machin's unauthorized mint.

Rarity Notes

Scarce.

Cross References

Vlack; Whitman 7620