1723 Penny Rosa Americana

Coin Details

Auction Record

$9,000 AU50 08-30-2022 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1723 Rosa Americana Penny is the standard issue of the middle denomination from the peak production year of William Wood's colonial coinage. The obverse shows the laureate bust of George I facing right with the royal legend, while the reverse displays the crowned Tudor rose with ROSA AMERICANA VTILE DVLCI. The 1723 penny represents the mature production phase of the series, when dies and production processes had been refined from the inaugural 1722 issues. Struck in Bath metal at approximately 25mm in diameter, the penny was well-suited for small commercial transactions. The 1723 production year is generally considered the highest-volume year for the Rosa Americana series, as Wood was actively fulfilling his patent obligations while simultaneously producing the Hibernia coinage for Ireland. The combined output of both series stretched Wood's Bristol mint to its capacity. Despite this production effort, the Rosa Americana coins were struggling to gain acceptance in the American colonies. Colonial merchants preferred Spanish silver coins, and local legislatures were reluctant to endorse a private patent coinage over which they had no control. The 1723 penny, produced at the peak of Wood's ambition for the series, represents both the height of the venture's output and the gathering storm of opposition that would end it within a year. Today it is one of the more available Rosa Americana types and an affordable way to own a genuine piece of colonial American coinage history.

Rarity Notes

Scarce but among the more available Rosa Americana penny types. The 1723 date is generally the easiest to obtain in the penny denomination.

Cross References

PCGS #90; Martin attribution; Breen; Nelson; cf. PCGS #125 (same coin, possible alternate cataloguing)