SOLD! Undated (Circa 1641-1675) Newby St. Patrick "halfpenny" (listed w/ the Red Book col
lordmarcovan
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Fair/Poor- slick but scarce!
Here's a New Jersey Saint Patrick "halfpenny". The obverse would probably grade around Fair by American standards; the reverse Poor. Aside from the considerable wear, however, and the stain on the reverse, this piece has a nice planchet- smooth, with no porosity or corrosion. The original brass "splasher" is visible on the obverse. This was a drop of molten brass added to the planchet before striking- it gave a touch of gold color to the large crown on the obverse, which isn't visible on this piece, though the splasher itself is.
These "halfpennies" are a bit scarcer than the "farthings", but I'm pretty sure all St. Patrick coinage is rather scarce. Nobody really knows what denominations the coins were supposed to represent, but "farthing" and "halfpenny" have been suggested because of the relative sizes of the two issues.
According to some sources, these coins were originally struck at the Tower Mint in England, presumably for use in Ireland, circa 1641-1642. It has been suggested that the king on these coins bears a resemblance to the Briot portraits of Charles I that were on some English coins of the period (however, some suggest the king on the coins is King David). Civil War had erupted in England at the time, and eventually the Loyalist forces of King Charles I were defeated, and the king was beheaded in 1649. Because of the Loyalist theme of these coins (which read "FLOREAT REX", or "Prosper the King" on the obverse, though you can't read it on this example), they soon fell out of favor, and may have become illegal or dangerous to own in England, so they ended up in Ireland (and the Isle of Man). With the harp motif and Saint Patrick on the reverse, that's probably where they were intended to circulate, anyway.
Other sources say the coins were struck in Ireland itself, in Dublin, circa 1674-1675. One smaller sized St. Patrick "farthing" was salvaged from the wreck of the yacht Mary, which had sailed from Dublin, and sank on March 24, 1675. This confirms that the coins were struck some time prior to that date.
In 1681, a Quaker named Mark Newby (also spelled "Newbie" in some sources), emigrated to the American colonies from Dublin, and brought many Saint Patrick coppers with him to New Jersey. In 1682 they were made legal tender there, and for this reason they are included in the colonial section of the "Red Book" of United States coins. Reportedly, these coins circulated in Western New Jersey until the early 19th century! Small wonder this one is so worn, if it circulated for nearly a century and a half.
I discovered this coin in January of 2006 in a mixed lot of world coins, along with some old British and French coppers. The person I received the lot from told me that this batch of coins was part of an accumulation that had been undisturbed in a New England attic (in Massachusetts, I think it was) for nearly 70 years, and that original hoard had included a number of Mint State early US coins such as silver three cent pieces and Flying Eagle cents. Many of the coins were still in the pockets of the old clothing that hung in the attic!
Anyway, this piece is well worn and perhaps not the finest you could hope to find, though it might take you some time to find any at all. However, it definitely has an aura of history about it and is certainly not something you're likely to see every day. I recognized what it was immediately when I found it, though I had never seen a St. Patrick coin before.
Fair/Poor- slick but scarce!
Here's a New Jersey Saint Patrick "halfpenny". The obverse would probably grade around Fair by American standards; the reverse Poor. Aside from the considerable wear, however, and the stain on the reverse, this piece has a nice planchet- smooth, with no porosity or corrosion. The original brass "splasher" is visible on the obverse. This was a drop of molten brass added to the planchet before striking- it gave a touch of gold color to the large crown on the obverse, which isn't visible on this piece, though the splasher itself is.
These "halfpennies" are a bit scarcer than the "farthings", but I'm pretty sure all St. Patrick coinage is rather scarce. Nobody really knows what denominations the coins were supposed to represent, but "farthing" and "halfpenny" have been suggested because of the relative sizes of the two issues.
According to some sources, these coins were originally struck at the Tower Mint in England, presumably for use in Ireland, circa 1641-1642. It has been suggested that the king on these coins bears a resemblance to the Briot portraits of Charles I that were on some English coins of the period (however, some suggest the king on the coins is King David). Civil War had erupted in England at the time, and eventually the Loyalist forces of King Charles I were defeated, and the king was beheaded in 1649. Because of the Loyalist theme of these coins (which read "FLOREAT REX", or "Prosper the King" on the obverse, though you can't read it on this example), they soon fell out of favor, and may have become illegal or dangerous to own in England, so they ended up in Ireland (and the Isle of Man). With the harp motif and Saint Patrick on the reverse, that's probably where they were intended to circulate, anyway.
Other sources say the coins were struck in Ireland itself, in Dublin, circa 1674-1675. One smaller sized St. Patrick "farthing" was salvaged from the wreck of the yacht Mary, which had sailed from Dublin, and sank on March 24, 1675. This confirms that the coins were struck some time prior to that date.
In 1681, a Quaker named Mark Newby (also spelled "Newbie" in some sources), emigrated to the American colonies from Dublin, and brought many Saint Patrick coppers with him to New Jersey. In 1682 they were made legal tender there, and for this reason they are included in the colonial section of the "Red Book" of United States coins. Reportedly, these coins circulated in Western New Jersey until the early 19th century! Small wonder this one is so worn, if it circulated for nearly a century and a half.
I discovered this coin in January of 2006 in a mixed lot of world coins, along with some old British and French coppers. The person I received the lot from told me that this batch of coins was part of an accumulation that had been undisturbed in a New England attic (in Massachusetts, I think it was) for nearly 70 years, and that original hoard had included a number of Mint State early US coins such as silver three cent pieces and Flying Eagle cents. Many of the coins were still in the pockets of the old clothing that hung in the attic!
Anyway, this piece is well worn and perhaps not the finest you could hope to find, though it might take you some time to find any at all. However, it definitely has an aura of history about it and is certainly not something you're likely to see every day. I recognized what it was immediately when I found it, though I had never seen a St. Patrick coin before.
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Comments
Have a Great Day!
Louis
One hour to go on this scarce coin. It was a real trooper in it's day and obviously withstood many years in circulation. LM found this coin in a lot of foreign coins that I sent him on approval. He telephoned me right away and told me what he had found. He offered me a fair price for the coin and a bone if it sold for a good price on ebay. It is comforting to know that I am part of a forum that has so many honest and knowledgeable members.
Have a Great Day!
Louis