1788 VT 1/2P Georgivs III Rex Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

One of the most historically revealing pieces in all of American state coinage, this 1788 Vermont copper muling combines a George III obverse die reading GEORGIVS III REX with an authorized Vermont reverse die, providing irrefutable physical evidence that the same facility produced both legitimate Vermont coppers and counterfeit British halfpennies. Cataloged as RR-36 and Whitman 2365, this variety is the counterpart to the 1787 Britannia muling (which pairs a Vermont obverse with a British reverse), and together the two demonstrate that the Vermont coining operation — contracted to Reuben Harmon Jr. at his Rupert facility — was simultaneously engaged in the production of counterfeit British coins alongside its authorized Vermont output. The use of a British obverse die bearing the King's name and title with a Vermont reverse is a reversal of the Britannia muling pattern, and both combinations could only have been produced at a facility that possessed dies for both series. This practice was widespread among late-eighteenth-century American coining operations, where the profit margins on counterfeit British halfpence often exceeded those on authorized state coppers. Rare and historically significant, the Georgivs III Rex muling is a key variety for collectors interested in the intersection of legitimate coinage and counterfeiting operations in post-Revolutionary America, documenting the murky boundary between authorized minting and illicit production that characterized the Confederation-era monetary landscape.

Rarity Notes

Rare. A key muling variety linking Vermont and counterfeit British coinage.

Cross References

RR-36; Whitman 2365