The Brandywine Collection

Set Description
In 1999, the first new quarter design in 24 years was released: The Delaware state quarter. The legislation that authorized the 50 State Quarters program was introduced by Delaware Rep. Mike Castle. But it was not the first coin designed that celebrated Delaware. In fact, there were four coins before it. And three afterwards. This collection contains a mix of both American and foreign coins, common and less common coins, and it definitely contains some surprises. It is meant as a love letter to a state I called home for much of my life.

The influence of Sweden, The Netherlands, and the British Empire can still be seen throughout the Delaware River Valley. And in the coins in this collection.

A (Very) Brief History of Delaware

In an attempt to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic, Henry Hudson sailed into a bay north of the Chesapeake in 1609. Shortly afterwards, in 1610, that bay and the river that feeds it were named in honor of the governor of the British colony Virginia Thomas West, the 3rd Baron De La Warr. Delaware gets its name from those bodies of water on its shores.

In March 1638 two Swedish ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and Fogle Grip, entered the Delaware River and anchored on the shores in present-day Wilmington, Delaware. They built Fort Christina on the banks of the Christina River, both named for Sweden’s Queen Christina, and established a settlement that became the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The settlement was taken by the Dutch in 1644, then again by the English in 1664. The colony was considered a part of New York until 1682 when the land was granted to William Penn and it became part of Pennsylvania. Though Penn wanted to make Pennsylvania a predominantly Quaker colony, the more diverse lower counties that make up Delaware resisted and sought more autonomy. In 1704, a separate Assembly governed the Lower Counties of Delaware.

Delaware remained a part of Pennsylvania until June 15th, 1776, when the colony declared independence from both Pennsylvania AND the British Crown. This enabled Delaware to become one of the 13 colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence two weeks later on July 4th. But that vote was deadlocked between the two other Delaware delegates. So on July 1, the 3rd delegate, Caesar Rodney, rode his horse overnight to cast the deciding vote for independence. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the newly created Constitution of the United States. Delaware’s nickname, The First State, comes from this event.

Set Goals
Tell the story of Delaware through coins. This is a collection in progress.