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2 Pence - Rosa Americana Pattern
| Issuer | United States (pre-federal and private territorial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1733 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A naturalistic Tudor rose in full bloom, shown on a thorned stem with leaves and a bud, surmounted by a royal crown with cross pattée at its apex. A flowing ribbon scroll at the base of the stem bears the motto UTILE DULCI in raised Latin capitals. The outer legend ROSA · AMERICANA · 1733 encircles the design along the periphery, separated by pellet stops. The entire composition is framed by a fine milled dentilated border, with the crowned rose motif serving as the emblematic device of the Rosa Americana coinage series. |
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| Additional information |
William Wood obtained his patent for the Rosa Americana coinage through court connections — widely suspected to involve bribes to the Duchess of Kendal, a mistress of George I — and began striking copper pieces for American colonial circulation in 1722. The 1733 date is anomalous: Wood died in 1730, and his patent had effectively lapsed. Pieces dated 1733 are almost certainly posthumous pattern strikes, possibly produced from leftover dies or as presentation pieces, and were never intended for colonial circulation.
The series was deeply unpopular in the colonies regardless. Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette ran pointed criticism of the coins' quality and the monopoly arrangement behind them.