United States (British Colonial): 1760 copper Voce Populi halfpenny, "VOOE" variety

PCGS AU50, cert. #49471240.  Numista-80846, KM-TTn1.

These coppers were originally issued for Ireland (“Hibernia” is the old Latin name for Ireland.) Like William Wood’s earlier Hibernia coins, these Voce Populi pieces are traditionally associated with colonial America and catalogued with American colonial coins, though they likely saw only limited use in North America. Still, they would probably have been familiar to our Founding Fathers as part of the wide assortment of British coppers that circulated in the colonies at the time.

“VOCE POPULI” means “by the voice of the people”, which seems an apt phrase considering the era, just slightly before the American Revolution.

This particular subtype is referred to as the “VOOE” variety, since the C in “VOCE” looks like a second O.

I’ve wanted a Voce Populi for a while, and was happy to acquire this About Uncirculated example with nice surfaces.

Despite their brand name, the PCGS "TrueView" image is grossly oversaturated and not true to the coin's color.  The other (dealer) images are more accurate.

Ex-David Lawrence Rare Coins, 20 October 2024.

Coleção : United States Coins