Material: Copper
Diameter: 27.5 mm
Obverse: Laureate bust of King George III facing right, legend GEORGIVS III REX
Reverse: This image displays the reverse side of the copper halfpenny, showcasing the iconic Irish symbol of a crowned harp flanked by the inscription HIBERNIA along the upper rim. The digits of the year 1769 are split by the base of the harp.
Mint: Royal Mint, London
Circa: 1769
Notes:
Pieces like this belonged to the small-change world of everyday exchange: market purchases, wages, taverns, ferries, and the countless ordinary transactions that rarely leave a written record. Eighteenth-century Ireland often suffered from shortages of useful low-value coinage, and that scarcity helps explain why copper halfpence and farthings became such an important part of daily life. It also opens the door to a wider collector story, because once you begin looking closely at Irish copper of this period, you quickly encounter the overlapping world of official issues, imitations, and the so-called Birmingham evasions.
This example appears consistent with an official Royal Mint issue rather than one of the evasive or imitation pieces that circulated alongside genuine coinage. That distinction is part of what makes coins of this period so engaging: a small worn copper can lead unexpectedly into questions of authority, necessity, trade, and the practical realities of money in circulation.
The coin’s deep brown and green surface, together with its extensive wear, speaks to long use rather than careful preservation. It is not a pristine cabinet piece, but a survivor of everyday handling. That is part of its appeal. The wear does not erase the object’s history; it is the visible record of it.