Description:

Colonial / Early National Coins
Ireland, VA, CT, NY, VT, ca. 1723-1788
Colonial and Early National Copper Halfpennies from the American Colonies and States
Medal/Coin
[COLONIAL / EARLY NATIONAL COINS.] Archive of 5 coins, 1723-1788.

This small grouping of copper halfpennies features two coins from the colonial period, produced in England and Ireland, and three from the late 1780s. All are halfpennies and closely resemble the British halfpenny with which Americans were familiar.

- 1723 Hibernia Halfpenny. Features a profile bust of King George I with "Georgius Dei Gratia Rex" (George, by the Grace of God, King) around the edge of the obverse, with a seated image of Hibernia, representing Ireland, leaning on an Irish harp, and the word "Hibernia" and date of "1723" on the reverse. Breen 155.
William Wood, an English copper and tin mine owner, purchased a Royal Patent in 1722 to produce the coins for use in Ireland and colonial America. Since the king had not consulted the Irish Parliament, the Irish soundly rejected the coins. In 1737, royal orders withdrew them from circulation. Profiteers bought and shipped them to America.

- 1773 Virginia Halfpenny. Features a bust of King George III and the word "Georgius" on the obverse with the shield of Virginia on the reverse.
Virginia's 1609 charter granted the authority to mint coins, but the colony did not exercise this privilege until May 1773, when the Virginia Assembly authorized the coining of a halfpenny at the Tower mint in London. Richard Yeo engraved the coin, which was made of copper. Five tons of the coins arrived in New York in February 1774 but were not distributed until Virginia received royal permission a year later. In February 1775, Virginia treasurer Robert Nicholas announced that the copper coins were ready to be issued, but within a few weeks, the Revolutionary War was underway. Virginians hoarded the new halfpenny and other copper coins until after the war and continued to use them into the nineteenth century.

- 1786 Connecticut Copper Halfpenny. Features a large bust facing right with the inscription "Auctori: Connec:" ("Authority of Connecticut") on the obverse and a seated figure of Liberty with the inscription "Inde. Et Lib." ("Independence and Liberty") and the date of "1786" on the reverse.
Although there are more than 355 die combinations, the basic design of the Connecticut Coppers of 1785 to 1788 imitated the British halfpenny. Four individuals petitioned the Connecticut General Court in October 1785 for permission to manufacture copper coins. Later that month, the legislature passed a law granting permission to coin up to £10,000 of coppers. In November, the petitioners joined with other partners to form "The Company for Coining Coppers," which produced approximately 1.4 million coins from November 1785 to June 1787.

- 1787 New York Nova Eborac Copper Halfpenny. Features a profile bust facing right, with the inscription "Nova Eborac" ("New York") around the edge on the obverse, and a seated figure of Liberty, with the inscription "Virt et Lib" ("Virtue and Liberty") and the date of "1787" on the reverse.
In March 1787, the New York State Assembly rejected all petitions to mint copper coins and restricted the circulation of lightweight coppers. One of the two primary petitioners for minting rights made an agreement with the Vermont mint to make imitation British halfpence, while the other privately minted "Nova Eborac" coppers to look like contemporary British and Connecticut halfpennies. The public accepted and widely used the coins.

- 1788 Vermont Copper Halfpenny. Features a profile bust facing right, with the inscription "Vermon Auctori" ("By Authority of Vermont") around the edge on the obverse, and a seated figure of Liberty, with the inscription "Inde et Lib" ("Independence and Liberty") and the date of "1788" on the reverse.
In June 1785, the Vermont House of Representatives granted Reuben Harmon Jr. the exclusive right to coin copper for two years. In October 1785, Harmon requested and received an eight-year extension of his contract, and he continued to mint coppers until Vermont joined the United States in 1791.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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