Owner Comments:
Pictured above is a 1785 Nova Constellatio Copper, (meaning New Constellation in Latin, and hereinafter referred to as "NC"), with blunt rays, graded AU 58 by PCGS. It has been classified as Crosby 1-B or W-1880. Note that this rarity 4 coin, features a misspelling of the word Constellatio as "Constelatio" within the obverse legend, and was once part of the prestigious collection of noted collector, author, and scholar Sydney F. Martin, and earlier ex the Lawrence R. Stack Collection (November 2006). The NCs specified no value, but usually circulated as halfpennies. They are regarded as the first circulating coppers to display purely American devices on their obverses and reverses.
The obverse of the NCs feature the all-seeing eye of Providence from which emanate rays (blunt or pointed) surrounded by 13 stars and the peripheral legend Nova Constel(l)atio. The reverse displays "US" in blocked or ornate overlapping script lettering, within a closed wreath, with Libertas Justitia or Libertas Et Justitia (Liberty and Justice) and the date along the periphery.
The NCs are believed to have been manufactured in large quantities at the Wyon Mint in Birmingham, England for export to the colonies, and specifically, New York. They were ordered by the firm of Constable, Rucker, & Co. The objective was to import cheap light-weight coppers that could be distributed at a handsome profit. The dire need for small change ensured their acceptance in commerce, which accounts for the substantial wear found on most examples. Eventually, other state coppers in circulation, particularly those of Connecticut, exceeded the weight of the NC coppers, that became even flimsier over time. This resulted in their falling out of favor, devaluation, and even legal restrictions on their use. Ultimately, large numbers of NCs were used as planchets for overstrikes of Connecticut, New Jersey, and Vermont coppers. Some NCs were muled with Immunis Columbia dies.
The NCs were modeled after an earlier unsuccessful American effort, during the Confederation Period, to devise a 1000 unit decimally-based monetary system.
The NCs, all with plain edges, come in 5 different types: 1783 pointed rays with reverse US; 1783 pointed rays with large reverse US; 1783 with blunted rays; 1785 pointed rays (large date); and 1785 blunted rays. A few specimens dated 1786 exist. They are probably contemporary counterfeits made at the Machin Mills facility, known for its inferior workmanship.