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Nova Constellatio patterns to be exhibited at the Chicago ANA!
Dentuck
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Whitman Publishing and Whitman Coin and Collectibles Expos announce a special exhibit at the ANA World's Fair of Money in Chicago, featuring the Nova Constellatio patterns, "The First Coins of the United States." They will be on display at booth #1057 Tuesday through Saturday, August 16 - 20.
Visitors to the exhibit will receive a free six-page souvenir reprint of Coin World's 1980 coverage of the famous pattern coins, including interviews with John J. Ford, Jr.
Whitman will also raffle off copies of The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint (by Leonard Augsburger and Joel Orosz) and other books that study the early coinage of the United States.
The Nova Constellatio patterns were conceived as the first coinage for the new nation, immediately following the American Revolution. In 1783 several test coins were minted as a prelude to mass production. These were the bit (100 units), the quint (500 units), and the mark (1,000 units). At the time, Americans were using for commerce a diverse mixture of state coinage, private tokens, counterfeit British coppers, and foreign coins, as well as various kinds of paper currency, none of which had a uniform value across all regions of the nation. The Founding Fathers hoped that the Nova Constellatio coins would provide a standardized system of United States money. "Nova Constellatio," meaning "New Constellation," is the inscription on their obverses, accompanied by an all-seeing eye and 13 stars representing the first colonies.
Admission to the Nova Constellatio exhibit is free. Supplies of the souvenir Coin World reprint are limited and copies are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Visitors to the exhibit will receive a free six-page souvenir reprint of Coin World's 1980 coverage of the famous pattern coins, including interviews with John J. Ford, Jr.
Whitman will also raffle off copies of The Secret History of the First U.S. Mint (by Leonard Augsburger and Joel Orosz) and other books that study the early coinage of the United States.
The Nova Constellatio patterns were conceived as the first coinage for the new nation, immediately following the American Revolution. In 1783 several test coins were minted as a prelude to mass production. These were the bit (100 units), the quint (500 units), and the mark (1,000 units). At the time, Americans were using for commerce a diverse mixture of state coinage, private tokens, counterfeit British coppers, and foreign coins, as well as various kinds of paper currency, none of which had a uniform value across all regions of the nation. The Founding Fathers hoped that the Nova Constellatio coins would provide a standardized system of United States money. "Nova Constellatio," meaning "New Constellation," is the inscription on their obverses, accompanied by an all-seeing eye and 13 stars representing the first colonies.
Admission to the Nova Constellatio exhibit is free. Supplies of the souvenir Coin World reprint are limited and copies are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
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Would be nice to see them in person. Not sure yet if I can.
Right here on the PCGS site is some good info as they have the whole book online for The History of United States Coinage As Illustrated by the Garrett Collection.
Here is a link to the written section about these: http://www.pcgs.com/books/garret/Chapter05-001.aspx
And the link to color pictures: http://www.pcgs.com/books/garret/Color-006.aspx
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
The lighting was poor and the copper 5 was very dark and hard to see. I asked the guard if it was OK to bring a flashlight and he said no.
Overall, a real treat to see them.
Authorized dealer for PCGS, PCGS Currency, NGC, NCS, PMG, CAC. Member of the PNG, ANA. Member dealer of CoinPlex and CCE/FACTS as "CH5"
<< <i>It was great to see them closer than I was able to in Boston. Also it was a pleasure to meet Walter Perschke and see his Quint. All five examples in one room! >>
Did yoiu see the engraving on the Perschke Quint: "5 Dec" above the "500." I wonder if this means "5 Decimes," a predecessor of the "Disme" on our dimes a few years later.
TD
Ford mentions Benjamin Dudley (a British subject) was located near Boston and there were several workers who helped him. Ford then refers to the Samuel Curwen statement that he received a "medal" (the 5 copper piece that was struck in Philadelphia according to the Curwen diary) from Mr. Bartlett coming from Philadelphia in 1874 while Curwen was in England.
The coins are well struck and nicely centered, and have even, semi-prooflike surfaces (at least on the silver pcs). They are very nice!
Since they are dated 1783, the year the war for independence was finished with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, were these perhaps made overseas in France, or England?
Dudley was put on a public payroll for a mint in January of 1782, and the first 1783 dated coin was deleivered to Robert Morris (Finance Superintendent) on April 2, 1783. That's a 16 month timeframe. My guess would be for the French Mint making these particular pieces, as that is where the diplomats (Ben Franklin and later John Adams) were staying at the time, plus, the "5" copper coin was discovered in France by a British coin dealer along with a bunch of early British coins. Besides, before the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783, the British Mint would not have been willing to strike coins for the "rebels" in America.
We know that the the regular Nova Constellatio copper coinage was struck in Birmingham, England in 1785 (with 1783 & 1785 dates).
So what about these 1873 "patterns"?
Does anyone have any further valid background on this situation?
"Some of the circumstances surrounding the issue of 1783 pattern coins were recorded by Robert R. Morris, the financier. His diary noted that on April 2, 1783, "I sent for Mr. Dudley who delivered me a piece of silver coin, being the first that has been struck as an American coin.”
On April 16th it was noted that he "sent for Mr. Dudley and urged him to produce the coin to lay before the Congress to establish a mint." On the following day, the 17th, he "sent for Mr. Dudley to urge the preparing of coins, etc. for establishing a mint."
Morris reported on April 22nd that: "Mr. Dudley sent in several pieces of money as patterns of the intended American coins." On July 5th he noted that "Mr. Benjamin Dudley ... also informs of a minting press being in New York for sale, and urges me to purchase for the use of the American Mint.""
The diary entry for April 17th urging him to prepare coins and the April 22nd entry noting that he in turn sent in several pieces makes it sound like the could have been struck in the US. I suppose it is also possible that they were previously struck in France, or elsewhere, and that Dudley was just delivering them.
By the way did anyone get good pictures of the exhibit to post here or are there links to photos of it? I did not make it to the show.
These are of such historical importance in numismatics that I would think they would get more attention. Also the value is estimated at $1 million or more for each coin in The PCGS Million Dollar Coin Club: http://www.pcgs.com/Million-Dollar-Coin-Club/Colonials.aspx
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
K
My 1866 Philly Mint Set
<< <i>After seeing them as close as possible, I had the thought, where were these made? There was no equipment, or people with coinage experience in this country to make such items, or was there?
Ford mentions Benjamin Dudley (a British subject) was located near Boston and there were several workers who helped him. Ford then refers to the Samuel Curwen statement that he received a "medal" (the 5 copper piece that was struck in Philadelphia according to the Curwen diary) from Mr. Bartlett coming from Philadelphia in 1874 while Curwen was in England.
The coins are well struck and nicely centered, and have even, semi-prooflike surfaces (at least on the silver pcs). They are very nice! Since they are dated 1783, the year the war for independence was finished with the signing of the Treaty of Paris, were these perhaps made overseas in France, or England?
Dudley was put on a public payroll for a mint in January of 1782, and the first 1783 dated coin was deleivered to Robert Morris (Finance Superintendent) on April 2, 1783. That's a 16 month timeframe. My guess would be for the French Mint making these particular pieces, as that is where the diplomats (Ben Franklin and later John Adams) were staying at the time, plus, the "5" copper coin was discovered in France by a British coin dealer along with a bunch of early British coins. Besides, before the Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783, the British Mint would not have been willing to strike coins for the "rebels" in America.
We know that the the regular Nova Constellatio copper coinage was struck in Birmingham, England in 1785 (with 1783 & 1785 dates).
So what about these 1873 "patterns"? Does anyone have any further valid background on this situation? >>
The papers of Robert Morris for the period in question were published in nine volumes by the
University of Pittsburgh Press between 1973 and 2000. There are a multitude of references in
these volumes to the 1783 patterns. They were clearly struck in this country.
Earlier researchers had also used a separate set of Confederation Government records for the
exact payments to Dudley, Eckfeldt, and others. (These particular records even show details of
payments to those individuals who signed the Continental notes.)