What is considered the first us coin ever produced
HalfDime
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The Fugio cent is considered the first official circulation coin of the United States.
Authorized by the Congress of the Confederation on April 21, 1787, this copper coin is also known as the Franklin cent, as it was reportedly designed by Benjamin Franklin. The coin features a unique design with a sundial and the Latin word "Fugio" (meaning "I flee" or "I fly"), symbolizing the passage of time, along with the motto "Mind Your Business".
Some interesting details about the Fugio cent include:
Composition: Pure copper
Mass: 10.2 grams
Design: Included a sun, sundial, 13 state chain links, and the phrases "Mind Your Business" and "We Are One"
While the Fugio cent is widely recognized as the first U.S. coin, it's worth noting that the United States Mint wasn't officially established until the Coinage Act of 1792, which created the first official Mint in Philadelphia. The first circulating coins from the official U.S. Mint were 11,178 copper cents delivered on March 1, 1793.
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We will have a 240th anniversary of the 1787 Fugio cent in two years. Please make in gold, copper, and silver.
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Reportedly, the Philadelphia Mint made 300 to 500, 1792 half dismes in the fall of 1792.
Had not heard that. I thought all were made outside the mint.
So where exactly was the Fugio cent minted?
Was it only the New Haven Connecticut Mint?
One AI source stated the Scovill Mint in Waterbury, Connecticut also minted them.
Are there other locations as well?
The Fugio Cent in your image is a New Haven Restrike made circa 1860.
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First strike (press), in the literal sense.
Yes.
-- Reprinted from "The Early Coins of America" by Sylvester S. Crosby
from:
https://www.pcgs.com/coinfacts/category/fugio-cents-1787/5954
In 1859, the Scovill Mint in Waterbury, Connecticut made the "New Haven Restrikes".
These are actually reproductions, not restrikes, because they were made with different dies.
And they were not struck in New Haven.
Here is a great link with many more details on the Fugio Cents:
https://coins.nd.edu/colcoin/colcoinintros/Fugio.intro.html
Scovill was a large manufacture of buttons, including multiple contracts with the military. I have many CW era military buttons with a Scovill back mark.
1792 my vote
Sorry for the partial hijack, but I was not aware that the Rupert VT site minted Fugios…. Did they mint only particular varieties?
From a “technical” standpoint it’s probably the Fugio. For me, though, I consider the 1792 half disme as first. They were actually struck in John Harper’s basement with silver supplied by Thomas Jefferson. The mint still wasn’t quite ready in October 1792.
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The first U.S. coin is definitely the 1787 FUGIO Cent. A credible case has been made that the 1783 Nova Constellation patterns were made on behalf of the United States, but I consider them to be patterns, not coins.
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Someone (frequent poster).
Was accumulating fugios.
This was a couple decades ago
I never got one
The 1792 half disme was also the first coins that made to the standards of the Coinage Act of 1792.
The Fugio Cent was really a product of the Confederation Government, not the U.S. Constitutional Government. The Fugio Cents were “disowned” after they were made because they were too light to trade as “cents.”
Don’t get me wrong. I think that the Fugio Cent is an interesting and worthwhile coin, but it didn’t serve its intended purpose. The half disme did. With a mintage of 1,500 plus the few hundred struck at the Philadelphia Mint, it is definitely not a pattern. Among the 300 or so survivors, all but about 20 of them are worn, usually well worn.
The Articles of Confederation (and the declaration) refer to the United States, so differentiating between the confederation and constitutional government skips the letter of OP's question "... the first us coin ...".
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/articles-of-confederation
No, it's quite clear from Jefferson's day book that he had 1,500 struck in July and used them as money.
You could argue that the 100-300 October strikes were presentation pieces.
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Whether delivery of the Fugio was ultimately accepted by congress or not it would seem reasonable that it was nonetheless “official” as it was authorized by them and it was produced. And, they circulated. I have one in my 18th Century type set. God willing it will one day be joined by a half disme. I think they deserve equal consideration as “the first”. JMO.
I vote 3-way tie between Fugio, half disme, and Chain Cent. The Chain is undoubtedly a full US coin in every way possible, while the others have *asterisks. Of the three, I own only the Fugio (see avatar) because it's much-much cheaper than the other two, which, maybe someday..