Owner Comments:
John Chalmers was a talented gold and silversmith hailing from Annapolis, Maryland, which at one time served as the temporary seat of the Continental Congress. He had numerous and diverse interests. At various times, he served as an officer in the Continental Army; a sheriff in Baltimore; a tavern keeper; a Common Counsel representative; a rope factory owner; and a Methodist preacher.
In 1783, the same year the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War, the public was desperately clamoring for full-weight, unadulterated, and reliable coins to facilitate small transactions. Even the Spanish (8 Reales) Dollar, a mainstay of circulating coinage, was the subject of serious abuses. It was frequently cut into pieces to create small change (most commonly into halves, quarters, and eighths). The unscrupulous sought a quick profit by "fudging" on the sizes of these fractional segments.
Not one to pass up an opportunity, John Chalmers established a small, purely private non-governmental mint, to produce 3 pence, 6 pence, and shillings of 81-83% fineness. For a commission, people could convert their underweight fractional pieces into a reliable standardized coinage. The prominent placement of "CHALMERS" in the obverse legend served as a convenient additional advertisement of the family name.
Thomas Sparrow, also an accomplished silver/goldsmith, and friend of Chalmers, is believed to have engraved the Chalmers sixpence dies, and may have had a hand in designing and/or engraving other denominations.
Pictured above, is a 1783 Chalmers Short Worm Shilling, graded AU 50 by PCGS. It has been variously categorized as: Crosby Pl. IX, 5; Breen-1011; and W-1785. This piece was acquired from a Stacks Showcase Auction held on 6/15/2026.
The Short Worm Shillings exhibit two characteristics that distinguish them from the Long Worm Shillings, with whom they share a common reverse: 1) The thickest part of the worm's head is inverted, located near its bottom. 2) The hedge/fence located on the reverse stretches between the "N"s in the words "ONE" and "SHILLING" of the peripheral legend.
This particular specimen displays areas of weakness in some of its motifs, a characteristic of Chalmers Shillings, but boasts better centering than most.
Chalmers Shillings sport some interesting symbolism: The reverse shows 2 birds vying for what some have called a worm, snake, or branch. A serpent lingers in the background behind a hedge. Some have opined that Chalmers was warning that if the birds, representing the newly independent states, needlessly fought with each other, the Federal Government, represented by the serpent, would use the opportunity to usurp additional power. Alternatively, it could portent the resurgence of Great Britain, if the states let their guard down.
The Short Worm variety is perhaps slightly scarcer than its Long Worm counterpart. The variety's rarity rating is URS-8, meaning that approximately 65 to 124 examples survive. 80 have been slabbed by PCGS, with this example being among the top 7. NGC has holdered 30. 9 have received a CAC sticker. The highest graded at PCGS are a pair at AU 55. NGC has assigned one MS 63.
The wear on these coins reflect their considerable use in commerce.
Chalmers minted a few pattern shillings for a proposed Federal coinage, that was never adopted.