Private and regional issues before independence include early Bermuda coinage, Hibernia pieces, merchant tokens, and political issues that circulated or collected in North America.

The broad 1616–1766 catalog preserves ten normalized type groups; inclusion does not mean every piece was struck in the future United States.

Verified side pairMode A · presentation polish
ObverseWood’s Hibernia reference pair obverse
ReverseWood’s Hibernia reference pair reverse
Wood’s Hibernia reference pair

Representative same-object obverse and reverse. Mode A presentation polish removed only the source background; coin surfaces and diagnostics were not reconstructed.

Identity and classification

Object class
Coin, token, or regional substitute
Authority
Private, commercial, and regional issuers
Classification boundary
Mixed object classes · intended use must be stated
Catalog status
Broad structured catalog

Money arrived through many channels

Colonial commerce relied on imported coins, contracted pieces, local tokens, and political medals as well as official colonial issues.

Circulation evidence and later collector classification are not always the same claim.

Obverse, reverse, and the details that identify the type

Confirm the major design, date, and mint mark before studying smaller die differences.

The main portrait and date

Issuer names, royal portraits, local devices, or political figures are the first attribution clues.

Denomination, subject, and mint mark

Ships, harps, legends, denominational marks, and regional emblems distinguish otherwise similar copper and silver pieces.

Attributed object catalog

Rows preserve the current classification; blank production is unknown, not zero.

(1616) 2P Sommer Islands(1616) 2P Sommer Islands, Large Star(1616) 2P Sommer Islands, Small Star(1616) 3P Sommer Islands(1616) 6P Sommer Islands, Small Portholes(1616) 6P Sommer Islands, Large Portholes(1616) Shilling Sommer Islands, Small Sails(1616) Shilling Sommer Islands, Large Sails(1860s) Shilling Sommer Islands, Dickeson Copy(1688) 1/24RL American Plantations, Restrike(1688) 1/24RL American Plantations, ET. HB. REX(1688) 1/24RL American Plantations, Sidewise 4(1688) 1/24RL American Plantations, Arms Transposed(1688) 1/24RL American Plantations Restrike(1722) 2P Rosa Americana, with Ribbon1720s 2P Rosa Americana1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana, VTILEDVLC1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana, D.G. REX1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana, DEI GRATIA1722 Penny Rosa Americana, GEORGIVS1722 Penny Rosa Americana, VTILEDVLC1722 Penny Rosa Americana, UTILE DULCI1722 2P Rosa Americana1722 2P Rosa Americana, Period after REX1722 2P Rosa Americana, No Period after REX1723 1/2P Rosa Americana, Crowned1723 1/2P Rosa Americana, Uncrowned1723 Penny Rosa Americana1723 2P Rosa Americana1724/3 Pat 1P Rosa Americana, DEI GRATIA1724/3 Pat 1P Rosa Americana, D GRATIA(1724) Penny Rosa Americana, ROSA:SINE1722 Penny Rosa Americana, GEORGIVS1722 Penny Rosa Americana, GEORGIVS/VTILEDVLC1733 Patt 2P Rosa Americana1723 2P Rosa Americana, Silvered1724/3 1P Rosa Americana, Dei Gratia1724 Patt 2P Rosa Americana1722 Farth Hibernia1722 1/2P Hibernia1722 1/2P Hibernia, Rocks Right1722 1/2P Hibernia, Harp Left1722 1/2P Hibernia, Harp Right1722 1/2P Hibernia, Harp Right, DEII1723 Farth Hibernia, D:G:REX1723 Farth Hibernia, DEI.GRATIA1723 1/2P Hibernia,1723 P 1/2P Hibernia, Silver1723/2 1/2P Hibernia1724 Farth Hibernia1724 1/2P Hibernia1724 1/2P Hibernia, DEI above head1723 Farth Hibernia, Silver Pattern1722 Farth Hibernia1723 Farth Hibernia, Silver1722 1/2P Hibernia, Harp Left1723 1/2P Hibernia1724 1/2P Hibernia Dt Below(1694) Token Elephant, Diagonals(1694) Token Elephant, Sword in 2nd Quadrant(1694) Token Elephant, Thick Planchet(1694) Token Elephant, Thin Planchet1694 Token Elephant, LON / DON1694 Token Elephant, God Preserve Carolina, Proprieters1694 Token Elephant, God Preserve Carolina, O/E1694 Token Elephant, God Preserve New England(ca. 1670) Token New Yorke in America, Brass(ca. 1670) Token New Yorke in America, Pewter1714 Shilng Gloucester, Brass1737 3P Higley, Connecticvt1737 3P Higley, Valve of Three Pence1737 3P Higley, Valve Me As You Please1737 3P Higley, Value Me As You Please(1737) 3P Higley, Broad Axe1739 3P Higley, Broad Axe(1737) 3P Higley, The Wheele Goes Round"1737" 3P Higley, Brass Bolen Copy"1737" AE 3P Higley, Bolen Copy"1737" AR 3P Higley, Silver Bolen Copy1760 Farth Voce Populi, Large Letters1760 Farth Voce Populi, Small Letters1760 1/2 P Voce Populi, No P1760 1/2 P Voce Populi, VOOE1760 1/2 P Voce Populi, P Below1760 1/2 P Voce Populi, P at Face1760/00 1/2 P Voce Populi, Crosslet After Voce"1700" 1/2P Voce Populi, Blundered Date1766 Farth William Pitt1766 Farth William Pitt, Silvered1766 AE 1/2P William Pitt1766 1/2P William Pitt, Tin1766 AE 1/2P William Pitt, Silvered

Attribution and authenticity

Issuer name, intended market, denomination, metal, edge, and manufacture are more reliable than visual resemblance alone.

Issuer and production

Production methods, issuing authority, and intended use vary across this catalog; do not infer a federal mint process from the page layout.

Authenticity

Confirm weight, diameter, metal, edge, manufacture, and multiple repeatable diagnostics with a trusted specialist reference.

Grading

Separate circulation wear from weak strike, planchet flaws, corrosion, cleaning, tooling, repairs, mounts, and other post-production changes.

Rarity

A low catalog count or famous name does not by itself establish rarity; exact attribution, survival, condition, and demand all matter.

Provenance

Retain labels, envelopes, invoices, auction references, prior attributions, and collection history; provenance is evidence, not decoration.

From one type coin to a complete catalog

  • One representative coin: Choose one problem-free, readable example and learn the size, edge, and major design.
  • Major-type set: Use one coin per major design to show changes in artwork, composition, or production.
  • Dates and mints: Work through the issue catalog by date and mint, defining special finishes separately.

Sources and image provenance

  1. Sommer Islands Sixpence, 1616 — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
  2. National Numismatic Collection — Smithsonian National Museum of American History
  3. Pre-1776 Private and Regional Issues category reference — PCGS CoinFacts