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9 Pence Colony of Pennsylvania
| Issuer | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1777 |
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| Printer | John Dunlap |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Letterpress-printed colonial bill on laid paper with the denomination "Nine Pence" set in italic type at upper left and lower left, flanking the central text block authorizing circulation per the Act of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, dated 20 March 1777 and issued 10 April 1777. A circular vignette at the left center encloses a small woodcut scene of a ship under sail. A manuscript signature appears in red-brown ink across the lower portion of the note, with vertical side lettering reading "NINE PENCE" along both margins. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | To Counterfeit is Death. Nine Pence. PHILADELPHIA: Printed by JOHN DUNLAP. 1777. Nine Pence. |
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| Comments |
Pennsylvania's 1777 emission was authorized under the new state government — the Commonwealth, not the colonial assembly that had issued earlier notes — making this one of the first issues to carry that designation. John Dunlap, who had printed the Declaration of Independence just the previous year, produced these notes at his Philadelphia shop on Market Street.
The 9 Pence denomination is an artifact of pre-decimal inertia. Pennsylvania continued issuing in pounds, shillings, and pence well into the Revolutionary period even as the Continental Congress was pushing dollar-denominated currency in parallel.