PCGS The Standart for the Rare Coin Industry

Pieces struck abroad for use in the American colonies include the Rosa Americana issues of 1722-1724, struck by William Wood, acting under a patent from King George I; the 1773 Virginia halfpenny bearing the portrait of George III; circa 1796 Kentucky tokens; and numerous others, including the 1783 and 1785 Nova Constellatio coppers made in Birmingham, England, on the order of Gouverneur Morris, who undertook the distribution as a business venture.

Coins and tokens honoring George Washington have always been popular with collectors. Most bear dates from 1783 to 1795 and were made in England, although several varieties were produced in America.

Sources for information: The Colonial Newsletter, published by the Colonial Newsletter Foundation, provides a forum for new discoveries, historical information, and other aspects of early American coins. The newly-formed Colonial Coin Collectors Club (C4) will in time, I am sure, be a forum for timely articles and news.

Books describing die varieties and giving other information include The State Coinages of New England, by Henry C. Miller and Hillyer Ryder, which describes Vermont and Massachusetts copper coins by Ryder numbers and Connecticut coppers by Miller numbers; a series of books by Sydney P. Noe describing silver coinage of Massachusetts; The Fugio Cents, by Alan Kessler, an expansion of an earlier work by Eric P. Newman; .Dr. Edward Maris' A Historic Sketch of the Coins of New Jersey; W.S. Baker's Medallic Portraits of Washington, originally published in 1885, and vastly expanded and updated by Russell Rulau in 1985; and one of the finest reference works ever produced for any area of coinage, The Early Coins of America, by Sylvester S. Crosby, 1875.

Budget Recommendations: Build a basic type set of colonial and state coins, beginning with the copper state coins of 1795-1788, to gain familiarity with the discipline of collecting. Select coins in G-4 to F-12 grades.

Recommendations for the Connoisseur: Build a basic type set of colonial and state coins, beginning with the copper state coins of 1795-1788, to gain familiarity with the discipline of collecting. F-12 to EF-40 grades represent a worthwhile goal. In a few areas, such as the 1722-1724 Wood's Hibernia coinage, the 1773 Virginia halfpenny, etc., MS-60 is attainable.