Catalog
1 Farthing - Mark Newby
| Issuer | New Jersey (United States (pre-federal and private/territorial)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1663-1672 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | QVIESCANT PLEBS (Translation: MAY THE PEOPLE BE CALM) |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Mark Newby emigrated from Dublin to West New Jersey in 1681, bringing with him a quantity of Irish copper halfpence and farthings struck for the St. Patrick coinage — a privately issued series produced in Dublin during the 1660s. In 1682, the West New Jersey General Assembly passed legislation making Newby's coins the first currency officially sanctioned by a legislative body in American colonial history, legal tender for payments up to five pence.
The farthing denomination was distinguished from the halfpenny by a small brass plug inserted into the die — not all examples retain it, and unplugged survivors generate ongoing debate among specialists about whether the plug was lost in circulation or never struck in the first place.