🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Toasted King George III Halfpenny?

[kyle369]

I found this a couple years ago on a MD Eastern Shore beach and never completely identified it. Based on a seemingly right facing bust and the letters "GEOR" It might be a King George III halfpenny of some kind but I can't make out much of anything of the reverse. I'm looking for images of any KGIII halfpenny where the ribbon loop on the bust lines right up with the "O" in "GEORGIVS".

I've tried taking pictures where what little detail is left can reflect the sunlight. The following pictures show the bust at normal rotation, then turned clockwise to see the "GEOR" better, and then views of the back from medal and coin alignment respectively.

 

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[Almy]

It's a challenge IDing badly worn and corroded coins like this, something many of us are up against often. Your guess is a good one based on what can be seen. These halfpennies were counterfeited a lot, so they can vary quite a bit in size and the impressions on them. If you like it, you can keep it as is. If you don't mind changing it a lot, sometimes more detail pops up with vigourous cleaning. I sometimes resort to mild acid (like lemon juice) and then abrasive (sandpaper) cleaning. In more than half my cases, more detail can be seen. In the other half, I'm left with an unidentified copper coin thinner and more copper coloured than before.

 

[kyle369]

It's a challenge IDing badly worn and corroded coins like this, something many of us are up against often. Your guess is a good one based on what can be seen. These halfpennies were counterfeited a lot, so they can vary quite a bit in size and the impressions on them. If you like it, you can keep it as is. If you don't mind changing it a lot, sometimes more detail pops up with vigourous cleaning. I sometimes resort to mild acid (like lemon juice) and then abrasive (sandpaper) cleaning. In more than half my cases, more detail can be seen. In the other half, I'm left with an unidentified copper coin thinner and more copper coloured than before.

Thank you for the reply. I did try rubbing olive oil on it and also boiling hot hydrogen peroxide baths, but I'll try out your method as well.

While in the middle of replying to you I noticed that I had the wrong pictures in the op. Now everyone should be able to see the "GEOR" at the top of the second photo.

Cheers, Kyle

 

[Joe-Dirt]

I think I can see III in the first picture but I can’t see which way the bust is facing. I have a stack of KG?’s, we have an old tavern site that kicks up counterfeit colonials every now and then but the base metal looks too good, the ones we find ring up 15-17 on the equinox when they should be a solid 24-26

 

[kyle369]

I think I can see III in the first picture but I can’t see which way the bust is facing. I have a stack of KG?’s, we have an old tavern site that kicks up counterfeit colonials every now and then but the base metal looks too good, the ones we find ring up 15-17 on the equinox when they should be a solid 24-26

That's a pretty cool crusted George!

I found my KG? on a beach near a Coast Guard Station on the Eastern Shore of MD, bay side.

I'm pretty sure the bust is facing right; one of the strongest remaining details is what I believe to be a hair ribbon loop directly aligned with the "O" in George, similar to the halfpenny coinage of his era.