England. 1775 Contemporary Counterfeit English Halfpenny. AK-9.

JPL World Coin #32: England. 1775 Contemporary Counterfeit English Halfpenny. George III Type. AK-9. EF-45. Chocolate Brown in hand both obverse/reverse. Brighten and sharpened for viewer clarity on the motifs.
122.4 grains. Glossy chestnut brown surfaces define what is one of the nicest examples we have ever seen of this iconic variety featuring the crude die work and distinct, small backwards S in GEORGIVS. Sharp, well-centered and bearing just a few marks of circulation, this coin may very well be one of the finest known of the die variety? Ex. Lucas Baldridge. Forgotten Coins 25th Anniversary Notes, p.251 with Copperclem comments in the AK Cross-comparison table: Not much has changed in the coin's classification and is noted with the distinctive retrograde "S" in GEORGIVS in the obverse. Ringo had three (5941-5943) although the variety is well sought after by specialists due to its distinctive obverse. In this series we see an upside down A's for V's, retrograde lettering which is normally the "S" puncheon but very rarely are letters punched over existing letters. Here the first "N" in BRITANNIA is actually constructed of "A" partially overstruck by an upside down "A" resulting in the appearance of a large "N" with a horizontal die break. A Toon Head Family coin in my notes.

Quite a stunning specimen.

I suppose a number of contemporary counterfeit halfpennies crossed over to the North American colonies in the colonists' pockets and purses, but I don't know yet whether they're attested frequently at all in archaeological reports. I suppose they're recorded in Kleeberg's Numismatic Finds of the Americas.

They made up nearly 50% of circulating coinage in Pre-Confederation American period of the 13 colonies prior to the U.S. Mint starting in 1793 with coinage . See this standard reference: https://www.amazon.com/Contemporary-Counterfeit-Halfpenny-Farthing-Families/dp/1642558575/ref=sr_1_2?crid=30KOI7F6HE1IW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dTjsNaEcNt8LZRaXe-DJcg.w5xmbQ03Wg6hvBgHOZEmKdqk35MjYahtfdxyQA-hdtE&dib_tag=se&keywords=ROger+Moore+Rock+counterfeit&qid=1765223592&sprefix=roger+moore+rock+counterfeit%2Caps%2C117&sr=8-2

The U.S. Mint officially began producing coins in 1793, not 1792.

The Coinage Act of 1792 established the U.S. Mint and authorized it to produce copper, silver, and gold coins. However, the Mint’s facilities in Philadelphia were not ready to strike coins until the following year. In 1793, the Mint produced its first official coins: copper cents, including the famous Chain Cent and Wreath Cent. These were the earliest coins struck under the authority of the United States government.

The first coins struck by the US mint in 1793 were half dimes (disme), believed to be made from silverware provided by George and Martha Washington.  N#25428

The first coins officially struck by the United States Mint in 1793 were copper large cents, beginning with the Chain Cent design. These were the inaugural issues produced at the Philadelphia Mint after its opening, marking the start of formal coinage under the new federal government. Silver coinage did not begin until 1794, so the 1793 cents hold the distinction of being the first true Mint products.

The famous half dismes, often confused with the 1793 issues, were actually struck in 1792 before the Mint was operational. About 1,500 pieces were produced by John Harper under the supervision of Mint Director David Rittenhouse. Thomas Jefferson supplied the silver, though a popular legend claims it came from George and Martha Washington’s household silverware. While the Washington connection adds romantic flair, historians generally regard it as folklore rather than fact.

Together, the 1792 half disme and the 1793 large cent represent two different milestones: the half disme as a prototype or transitional coin, and the large cent as the first official coinage of the U.S. Mint. This distinction is crucial for numismatists, since it separates early experimental issues from the formal beginning of American coinage.

I see. Guess that will teach me not to trust the information on the United States Mint web site.

Either answer is correct. Just nit-picking. Some people even say Fugio Coppers - however … The Fugio coppers of 1787 are sometimes mistaken as the first U.S. Mint coins, but they were actually struck by private contractors under authorization of the Continental Congress. Designed by Benjamin Franklin, they carried the sundial and “Mind Your Business” motto, and while they represent the first federally sanctioned coinage, they predate the establishment of the Mint itself.

By contrast, the Philadelphia Mint opened in 1793 under the Coinage Act of 1792, and its first official products were the copper large cents. This distinction matters: Fugio coppers are part of the pre-Mint era, while the 1793 cents mark the beginning of coinage directly produced by the federal government’s own facility. Together, they illustrate the transition from contracted coinage to a permanent national minting system. Chain Cents, 1792 Half Disme, Fugio Coppers = all three get mentioned.

Exactly. First the 1793 half dimes then the copper cents a few months later.  The cents were the first circulating coins.