New Jersey Colonial Thread

Zoins

Here's a thread for New Jersey Colonials!

Let's start with the unique "WM" New Jersey Copper pattern by Walter Mould has a very interesting, but short, history, being discovered in 1994! Fittingly, it was owned by colonial collector extraordinaire Donald Groves Partrick.

An interesting thing is that this coin was graded PCGS V25 and placed in a Regency Holder back in 1994 when it was discovered. When it was sold in 2021 in the Partrick sale, it had been downgraded to NGC F15 BN. Does anyone have photos of this in the Regency Holder?

This unique piece is only pedigreed to 2 people, Jon Hanson and Donald Groves Partrick!

• PCGS Article: New Jersey Coppers: Engraver Walter Mould Leaves His Mark
• Heritage (Partrick Sale): https://coins.ha.com/itm/colonials/1787-new-jersey-copper-wm-above-plow-maris-625-r-w-5360-unique-fine-15-ngc/a/1330-15105.s

PCGS wrote:
Walter Mould’s Morristown mint was operational by late January 1787. It has been speculated that his first die, now designated Maris 62 1/2-r, was rejected by the state treasurer for non-compliance with the specifications of the design. Mould, in accordance with the English tradition of engravers signing their work, put his initials “WM” under the truncation of the horse. But this speculation did not come to light for more than 200 years! In 1994, a lone example of the “WM” initialed die was discovered. To this day, the “WM” specimen is unique.

Here's a photo of the obverse of the original Walter Mould coin showing the initials.

Zoins

Here's the Ron Landis / Joe Rust Gallery Mint version which was done in 1996 in conjunction with the New Jersey Numismatic Society.

Photo courtesy of errors.mostly.

Here's the piece in the GMM Newsletter:

http://gmm.cdbpdx.com/news/#MAR96

Here's the article in the New Jersey Numismatic Journal: Vol. 21 No. 2:

https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/577866?page=10

Zoins

Here's another great New Jersey piece, a New Jersey "St. Patrick" Coin.

https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/category/colonials/pre-1776-states-coinage/new-jersey-st-patrick-coins-1663-1672/802

@BestGerman said:
The St. Patrick coins (so-named because of the image of the saint that appears on the back of the coins) were struck sometime prior to 1681, when some of them were brought to America by a man named Mark Newby. The front of the coins show a crowned king on his knees playing a harp and gazing up at a crown. The back of the Farthings show St. Patrick driving serpents into the sea; the back of the Halfpennies show St. Patrick surrounded by a crowd of people. Although these coins were struck overseas, they became legal money in New Jersey in May, 1682 because of the pressing need for coins in the Colonies.

Many of the copper pieces have a brass plug inserted deliberately to give the large crown a golden color.

Slab photos courtesy of Rare Coin Wholesalers.

NumisOxide

Great thread!

P0CKETCHANGE

Interesting stuff. I’ve never seriously considered collecting these, but as New Jersey is my home state, perhaps I should. What’s the best book on these for someone starting out?

lcutler

https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n21a05.html
https://www.amazon.com/Jersey-State-Coppers-Roger-Siboni/dp/0897223284
These two are the best there are on the two series.

lkenefic

The sole Colonial in my Box of 20: New Jersey Sprig over Plow

MidLifeCrisis

@Zoins said:
Here's another great New Jersey piece, a New Jersey "St. Patrick" Coin.

https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/category/colonials/pre-1776-states-coinage/new-jersey-st-patrick-coins-1663-1672/802

-

I've owned a couple of "New Jersey" St. Patrick's coppers. Here's a St. Patrick Farthing, ex Norweb

Here's some more information about these coins from various sources:

Mark Newby, a Quaker tallow chandler (candle maker), arrived in the New Jersey colony on November 19, 1681, with a group of emigrants from Dublin, Ireland. He brought with him a quantity of copper coins known as St. Patrick's halfpence. Newby, who subsequently became a member of the New Jersey State Legislature, influenced the province of New Jersey to pass an act on May 8, 1682, which provided:

"That Mark Newby's half-pence, called Patrick's (sic) half-pence, shall from and after this said 18th instant, pass for half-pence current pay of this Province, provided he, the said Mark, give sufficient security to the Speaker of this House, for the use of the General Assembly from time to time being, that he the said Mark, his executors and administrators, shall and will change the said half-pence for any pay equivalent, upon demand: and provided also that no person or persons be hereby obliged to take more than five shillings in one payment."

Thus, by legislative act, these halfpence became legal tender in New Jersey.

These copper coins were originally thought to have been minted in Dublin in the 1670s, but some think they were struck at the Tower mint in London in 1641-42 and were intended for Ireland but were impounded during the English Civil War.

Here's another account:

In 1681, there was a Northumberland Quaker named Mark Newby (sometimes spelled Newbie), who moved to Dublin. Suffering religious persecution there, he moved to Ballicane. There, he made his plans to join other Quakers who were emigrating to the American Colonies. Newby conjectured that small denomination coinage would be in short supply in the new world, and acquired a cask containing 14,400 coppers at a cost of about £30.

The coins he acquired were know as “St. Patrick coppers” and were originally struck in 1641 and 1642, and were used to pay the Catholic troops who fought Cromwell’s Protestant army in the Ulster Rebellion. A Puritanical movement in England suppressed everything Catholic, including these copper pieces. The coins reappeared in Ireland and the Isle of Man, but in 1679 the Manx Parliament rescinded their use as legal tender. These coppers were struck in two denominations a halfpence (1/2 penny) and a farthing (1/4 penny).

In September of 1681, Newby left Ireland, with about 20 other Quakers, heading for the American Colonies. He sailed on a fishing ship called “Owners Adventurer.” About a month later, the ship anchored off what is now Salem, New Jersey. After spending the winter in Salem, Newby moved to Gloucester County near present day Camden. It was there he set up the first bank in the Province of New Jersey.

From 1676 to 1702, New Jersey was divided into two separate colonies, the East Colony and the West Colony. Newby quickly developed considerable political clout within the region, and on May 18, 1862, the General Free Assembly of West New Jersey granted Newby’s coins legal tender status thus, allowing the St. Patrick coppers to circulate as small denominational change at the rate of a halfpenny. The only restrictions placed on Newby was: that he had to put up 300 acres of land as security against the coinage, and that any person would not have to accept more than five shillings in copper at any one time in payment.

Newby died in the fall soon after his St. Patrick copper coins were approved as legal tender. The coppers fulfilled an important role in local commerce. In fact, these coins remained in circulation and were found in change in Western New Jersey well into the early 1800s.

These are some very interesting New Jersey colonial coins!

Mr_Spud

Here’s my one and only NJ Copper

retirednow

One of my that I have just put up for auction on the Heritage site

I like the NJ coppers ... there are large number of varieties but the registry boiled it down nicely so one could work on a registry set if desired.

This example is one of the plentiful varieties estimated URS 12 . I especially like this one as it look nicer than the E=XF40 grade but it did have a CAC sticker

Mr_Spud

Does this count as a New Jersey Colonial?
I have another one laying around somewhere too that has the signature of one of the guys that also signed the Declaration of Independence