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1 Cent - Kamehameha III
| Issuer | Kingdom of Hawaii |
|---|---|
| Year | 1847 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The denomination in Hawaiian, HAPA HANERI, is inscribed in two lines at the center of the field, enclosed within a wreath of olive or laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow and terminating at the top where the two branches meet. Small floral ornaments appear at the lower left and right of the wreath. The peripheral legend AUPUNI HAWAII runs along the upper arc of the coin. A beaded border frames the entire reverse. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Hawaii's first official coinage, authorized under Kamehameha III as the islands' economy increasingly demanded a local circulating medium beyond barter and foreign specie. The coins were struck in Boston by the firm of Haseltine and Ryder, a private contractor — the Kingdom had no mint of its own and never would. Mintage reached 100,000 pieces, but a significant portion was reportedly rejected by the local population, who preferred the familiar foreign coins already in circulation.
Many unsold examples were later melted or dumped, which explains why circulated survivors outnumber uncirculated ones by a wide margin — the worn pieces actually got used.