1933/2 Overdate Halfpenny - PCGS MS64BN

Australia, 1933/2 Overdate Halfpenny -

Browsing the discussion boards on the internet, it is clear that there’s some debate going on about whether the so-called 1933/2 overdate halfpenny is in fact an overdate. First raised in 2003 by a Melbourne collector, the overdate or variety, depending on your view, is not a hard one to pick: If you take a loupe and examine the second “3” of the date, it’s clear that the digit exhibits an “extended peak” and “bevelled rear”, as described by Ian McConnelly in his July 2003 article in the Coin and Banknote Magazine. I won’t reprint the article here, but you can refer to it in the July 2003 and March 2007 editions of that magazine for a fuller picture. His conclusion, underlined for effect, was that 1933 halfpennies that exhibited these features on the second “3” of the date were in fact overdates. Photographed above is one such overdate, graded (though not identified) by PCGS at MS64BN. I do know of a handful of other 1933/2 overdate halfpennies graded by PCGS, although none were as fine as the coin presented here. How rare is this coin? That’s a hard one to answer. There haven’t been enough sales at auction or through dealers lists to make a market, but based on examining bulk groups of 1933 halfpennies, it’s clear that the overdate is scarcer than the normal coin. Again, it’s hard to say just how scarce. If collectors have any views, click the “inquire” link below and send them over; I’d be keen to hear them. In any case, I’ve listed the coin at a price that might reflect the true rarity of the coin, though it might very well be worth more or less down the line. Overall, it’s a great little overdate or variety and worthy of further research.