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Pictured above, is a 1783 Nova Constellatio Copper, (hereinafter abbreviated as "NC"), whose obverse legend means New Constellation in Latin - referring to the new group of colonies. It features blunt rays, a small "US" in block letters, a reverse wreath composed of 23 pairs of leaves, and has been graded AU 50 by PCGS. Interestingly, the word Constellatio in the obverse legend is misspelled Constelatio (as on the Crosby 1-B variety). It has been classified as Crosby 3-C or W-1875. There are approximately 250 - 500 surviving examples. The provenance of this coin can be traced to the Ross Family Collection, and earlier to McCawley-Grellman's 5th Annual C-4 Convention Sale of November 1999 (Lot 418).
The NCs specified no value, but usually circulated as halfpence. They are regarded as the first circulating coppers to display purely American devices on their obverses and reverses.
The NCs, all with plain edges, come in 5 different types: 1783 pointed rays with small reverse US; 1783 pointed rays with large reverse US; 1783 with blunted rays and small US; 1785 pointed rays, with small or large date, and large script US; and 1785 blunted rays with large script US. A few specimens dated 1786 exist. They are probably contemporary counterfeits made at the Machin Mills facility, known for its inferior workmanship.
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 large 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 NC coppers, that became even flimsier over time. This resulted in their falling out of favor, devaluation, and even 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.