NEW BOOK: CONTEMPORARY COUNTERFEIT HALFPENNY AND FARTHING FAMILIES

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V21 2018 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 21, Number 7, February 18, 2018, Article 3

The Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) has published an important new work on contemporary colonial-era circulating counterfeit coinage. -Editor

The Colonial Coin Collectors Club announces the latest in its series of publications -- CONTEMPORARY COUNTERFEIT HALFPENNY AND FARTHING FAMILIES, VOLUME ONE by Roger Moore, Eugene Andrews, Robert Bowser, John Howes, John Louis, David Palmer, Jeff Rock, Rickie Rose, Clem Schettino, and Byron Weston.

This monograph is the start of an effort to organize and bring structure to this area of colonial numismatics: it breaks down the vast number of different varieties into related groups called Families. A Family of contemporary counterfeits is a group of coins that likely came from the same minting operation at about the same time. Families are logical groups that share one or more of the following attributes: dies, die making punches, or similarities in the design style.

The work, large format, glossy hardcover, 304 pages and profusely illustrated in color will be available in March for $54.95 (plus $7.25 if shipped) from Charles Davis, P.O. Box 1, Wenham Mass 01984.

Jim Rosen
Past President, Colonial Coin Collectors Club, Inc.
“Finally, a wonderful and badly needed reference book of extraordinary importance that for the first time begins the monumental task of putting order to the unorganized field of counterfeit halfpence and farthings.”

To understand the monumental scope of this undertaking, look no further than the Table of Contents. -Editor

SECTION 1 -- Introduction
Historic Context of Non Regal Coppers
How to Collect Non Regal Coppers
Regal British and Irish Coinages
Formation of Non Regal Families
Understanding the Nomenclature on the Plates
Aid for Attributing Family Members
Glossary of Terms
Anton/Kesse Relationships with Families

SECTION 3 -- British And Irish Counterfeit And Evasion Families
INTRODUCTION – Moore
Chapter 1 – Aging George Family (AG) – Rose/Bowser
Chapter 2 – Baby Head Variety (BH) – Moore
Chapter 3 -- Banana Nose Family (BN) – Rock
Chapter 4 – Big Bird Family (BB) – Bowser/Moore
Chapter 5 – Boyish George Family (BG) – Moore
Chapter 6 -- British Toon Family (BT) – Rock/Louis
Chapter 7 – Capped Head Family (CH) – Moore
Chapter 8 – Coin X Family (CX) – Louis
Chapter 9 – Coin Y Family (CY) – Howes
Chapter 10 – Defiant Head Family (DH) – Howes
Chapter 11 -- Duke of Yorke Evasion Family (DYE) – Rock
Chapter 12 -- Faceless George Family (FG) – Andrews
Chapter 13 -- Flaming Sprig Family (FS) – Moore
Chapter 14 -- Indian Head Family (IH) – Rock/Bowser
Chapter 15 -- Irish Toon Family (IT) – Louis/Rock Chapter 16 – Lanky Letters Family (LL) – Moore
Chapter 17 -- Long Neck Family (LN) – Moore/Schettino
Chapter 18 – Machin Mills Family (MM) – Howes
Chapter 19 – Moody Pouty Family (MP) – Moore/Louis
Chapter 20 – Muted George Family (MG) – Louis
Chapter 21 – Notch Nose Family (NN) – Moore/Louis
Chapter 22 – Ogle Eye Family (OE) – Moore/Bowser
Chapter 23 – Old Guy George Family (OGG) – Rock/Louis
Chapter 24 – Potato Head Family (PH) – Moore/Rock
Chapter 25 – Rubber Lady Family (RL) – Moore/Rock
Chapter 26 – Simian George II Family (SGII) – Rose/Moore
Chapter 27 – Slope Head Family (SH) – Moore/Louis
Chapter 28 – Spike Chin Family (SC) – Moore/Louis
Chapter 29 – Swollen Jowl Family (SJ) – Moore
Chapter 30 – Teary Eyed Family (TE) – Andrews/Louis
Chapter 31 – Whistling George Family (WG) – Moore
Chapter 32 – Wood 42 Family (W42) – Moore
Chapter 33 – 1781 Family (81) – Moore/Palmer
Chapter 34 – 1785 Family (85) – Moore/Weston

SECTION 4 -- Summaries Of Incompletely Researched Families
Introduction – Rock/Moore
Bubblegum Face Family (BF) – Bowser/Moore
Coin W Family (CW) – Bowser/Moore
Coin Z Family (CZ) – Bowser/Moore
Crude American Family (CA) – Bowser/Moore
Curly Haired George Family (CG) – Bowser
Distant Bow Family (DB) – Bowser/Moore
Flat Struck Family (FS) – Bowser
Georgivs Triumpho Family (GT) – Moore/Bowser
Headless Rat Family (HR) – Bowser
Long Top Sevens Family (LT7) – Bowser/Moore
Proud Sevens Family (P7) – Bowser/Moore
Quill Pen Family (QP) – Bowser
Roman Head Family (RH) – Bowser
Ski Nose Family (SN) – Moore/Bowser
Slant Sevens Family (S7) – Bowser
Tilted Head Family (TH) – Bowser/Moore
Topless Ordinal Family (TO) – Bowser/Moore
Wedge Top Sevens Family (WT7) – Moore/Bowser
Young Head Family (YH) – Bowser/Moore
Bibliography And Suggested Readings: – Moore/Rock

Wow! What a monumental effort! Works like this define the shape of the numismatic landscape for decades to come. Many thanks to the authors and C4. This is also where unusual but useful new numismatic terms are invented (although only time will tell if they have staying power). My favorites include Boyish George, Ogle Eye, Rubber Lady, Headless Rat, and Topless Ordinal. -Editor