1733 Patt Twopence Rosa Americana

Coin Details

Auction Record

$132,000 PR64BN 10-30-2018 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1733 Rosa Americana Twopence Pattern is a late or posthumous striking bearing a date nearly a decade after the effective end of the regular Rosa Americana series in 1724. The circumstances of its production are debated among numismatists. William Wood's patent had been revoked by the mid-1720s under political pressure from both the American colonies and Ireland, yet this pattern carries a 1733 date, suggesting either a final attempt to revive the series, an unofficial restrike using modified dies, or a commemorative piece produced for collectors. George I had died in 1727 and was succeeded by George II, yet the coin retains the George I portrait, further complicating its origin story. 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. Struck in Bath metal at the standard Twopence dimensions of approximately 31mm, the coin is consistent in format with the earlier regular issues. The 1733 date makes this the latest-dated original era Rosa Americana coin, and it serves as the prototype for the later Robinson Copies of the 1860s, which specifically reproduced this date. Whether this is a genuine late pattern, a restrike, or something in between, it is an important and enigmatic piece in the Rosa Americana series that has attracted scholarly attention for over two centuries.

Rarity Notes

Extremely rare. Very few genuine 1733 Rosa Americana patterns are known. Not to be confused with the much more common 1860s Robinson Copies.

Cross References

PCGS #143; Martin attribution; Breen; cf. PCGS #889784/889785/889787 (Robinson Copies of this date)