Colonial Coinage of the Original Thirteen Colonies of the United States

Colonial Coinage of the Original Thirteen Colonies of the United States

In colonial times there were four sources of money.

Money could be struck by the colony. Several had mintings of some coins, but none had extensive coin making.

Money from another country could be brought into the colony, especially money from Great Brittan.

Money could be counterstruck, which is a process where one country’s money is over struck to make I serve as currency elsewhere.

Private companies, plantations and banks produced their own, which sometimes could only be used for that country.

Some early coinage is interesting because the image of the person who led the colonization of a region is on the obverse of the coin. Such persons as Lord Baltimore, and Pitt were depicted on coins.

Eventually King George was to be honored on coins, beginning in 1922, and minted irregularly on coins known as Royal Patent Coinage. King George I, II, and III were all honored, and in the British tradition, King George I and III face right while King George II faces left. It was tradition that monarchs reversed the direction being faced on a coin rom the monarch’s predecessor.

Once the Revolutionary War started, Revolutionary Coinage started, with no image of the King of England. This introduced the dollar as a new denomination. However, it would not last, and minting colonial dollars ended in 1776.

It would be some years before the country would come together, establish a legal monetary system, and begin minting coins. So, several states minted their own coins, some more enthusiastically than others. State coins exist from Connecticut, Massachusettes, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.

In 1787 some Early Federal Coinage came into existence, Two coins that would be changes were the half disme and the disme, which would be replaced with half dimes and dimes.

Two words to search for are Brasher and Fugio cent.

In those days, it was the metal in the coin that gave the coin its value, so a coin from one country could easily be used in another.