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1000 Units - Nova Constellatio Pattern
| Issuer | United States (pre-federal and private territorial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1783 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device consists of a radiant all-seeing eye surrounded by thirteen six-pointed stars arranged in an arc, representing the original thirteen states of the Union. Long, sharp rays emanate from the eye in all directions, filling the field with bold relief. The legend 'NOVA CONSTELLATIO' is inscribed around the periphery, reading from lower left to upper right, separated by a small ornamental device at the base. A continuous olive-branch border encircles the entire design just within the milled rim, lending a refined neoclassical character to this rare pattern piece. |
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| Additional information |
The Nova Constellatio patterns of 1783 were produced at the initiative of Gouverneur Morris, then Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris's assistant, who proposed a decimal coinage system for the new nation before Alexander Hamilton or Jefferson had put their own plans to paper. The 1000-unit piece — the "mark" in Morris's scheme — was struck in Philadelphia, almost certainly by Benjamin Dudley, the English engraver brought over specifically to produce these experimental pieces. Congress never adopted the system; the unit itself, based on a grain-weight common denominator Morris calculated to reconcile existing Spanish, English, and state coinages, was considered too small for practical arithmetic by most who reviewed it.
Surviving examples are few. These were presentation and trial pieces, not a circulating proposal awaiting approval.