1772 1772' 1/2P Machin's Mills - IVS Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Bearing the Vlack 5-72A die combination and Whitman 7635 catalog number, this 1772-dated Machin's Mills copper halfpenny features the IVS reverse legend variant — a different die from the IUS reverse (Vlack 3-72A) sharing the same 1772 date. The coexistence of IVS and IUS reverse dies with identical dates illustrates the multiple reverse dies that were in simultaneous use at Machin's facility, each prepared by die sinkers who rendered the British halfpenny inscriptions with their own characteristic abbreviations. Produced circa 1787-1790 at Thomas Machin's private mint near Newburgh, New York, the piece imitates a George III halfpenny with the familiar regal bust obverse and seated Britannia reverse, backdated to 1772 to pass as a genuine British colonial-era coin. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 7.5 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #939. Classified as moderately scarce, the Vlack 5-72A die combination is one of several 1772-dated pairings documented in the Vlack reference catalog. Machin's Mills operated along the Moodna Creek in Orange County, New York, under Captain Thomas Machin — a Revolutionary War veteran whose engineering skills (including his work on the Hudson River chain defense at West Point) informed his post-war commercial venture into copper coinage production. The presence of multiple reverse legend variants (IVS and IUS) for a single date reflects the scale of die production at the Newburgh facility and the lack of standardized quality controls governing the imitation process.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Vlack 5-72A; Whitman 7635