As researchers have studies various coin series over the years, various pieces with distinctive features have gained colorful, often fun nicknames.

Some of the Colonial pieces sold in Stack’s Bowers Galleries’ October auction at the Whitman Baltimore Expo carry some of the oldest nicknames given to U.S. coins.

Inside Coin World: Bavarian polymath seeks coinage metals contract: Feuchtwanger tokens, an exceptional example of the VAM-4 1880/79-O Morgan dollar and rim-to-rim cuds are among collectibles examined in Coin World’s Dec. 24 issue.

The Hibernia-Voce Populi issues were a private issue struck in Ireland in farthing and halfpenny denominations in styles mimicking contemporary circulating English coinage. Examples found their way to Colonial America where they enjoyed some circulation in the colonies. 

An unusually high grade “Boyish Head” 1760 Voce Populi halfpenny, listed as Nelson 1 in Philip Nelson’s text The Coinage of Ireland in Copper, Tin and Pewter, was graded About Uncirculated 55 by Professional Coin Grading Service. A newer reference to the series is Jerry Zelinka’s October 1976 article in The Colonial Newsletter. 

Stack’s Bowers called the offered example “A stellar example of this distinctive variety, showing a youthful bust of much finer style than a typical entry in this series,” with the cataloger writing, “This is either the nicest or second nicest of these the cataloger has seen that remains in private hands.” In contrast, other types are more crude and rugged. It brought $9,000.

The type is listed on Page 61 of the 2019 edition of the “Red Book.” 

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