Catalog
1/2 Penny - Nova Constellatio "Pointed Rays, CONSTELLATIO"
| Issuer | United States (pre-federal and private territorial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1783 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Philadelphia |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Nova Constellatio coppers of 1783 were not official federal issues — Congress had no coinage authority yet — but rather a private venture initiated by Gouverneur Morris and Robert Morris (no relation) under the Financier's office. The patterns and subsequent struck pieces were produced in Birmingham, England, by the firm of Boulton and Watt's commercial competitors, then shipped to Philadelphia. The irony of a newly independent republic sourcing its proto-coinage from British manufacturers was not lost on contemporaries.
The "Pointed Rays, CONSTELLATIO" variety is distinguished from its blunt-ray counterpart by die characteristics catalogued under ongoing revision since Vlack's original work.