1724 Patt Twopence Rosa Americana

Coin Details

Auction Record

$31,200 SP61 10-30-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1724 Rosa Americana Twopence Pattern represents the final year in which new dies were prepared for the series, marking the effective end of William Wood's colonial coinage venture. By 1724, opposition to the Rosa Americana coins in the American colonies and to the companion Hibernia coins in Ireland had reached a crescendo, and Wood's patent was under severe political pressure. This pattern piece, designated by the "Patt" prefix indicating a trial or experimental striking, may represent a final attempt to continue or revive the series, or it was produced as a numismatic curiosity for collectors even as the commercial venture was failing. The obverse features 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 coin was struck in Bath metal at the standard Twopence dimensions of approximately 31mm. As a pattern, it may exist in very small numbers, as few as a handful of specimens. The 1724 date is particularly significant because it coincides with Jonathan Swift's publication of the "Drapier's Letters" attacking Wood's coinage for Ireland, a literary campaign that contributed directly to the revocation of Wood's patent. This pattern Twopence thus documents the twilight of one of the most ambitious private coinage ventures in colonial American history.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. As a pattern issue from the terminal year of the Rosa Americana series, surviving examples are extremely scarce.

Cross References

PCGS #140; Martin attribution; Breen; 1724 is the final year of Rosa Americana die production