(1737) Higley Copper Threepence - Broad Axe, THE WHEELE GOES ROUND

Coin Details

Auction Record

Description

This Higley copper pairs the wheel obverse, THE WHEELE GOES ROUND, with the broad axe reverse. Samuel Higley mined copper near Granby, Connecticut, and with his brother John made the dies and struck these coppers from 1737; Samuel was lost at sea in 1737 and John carried on. Every obverse shows a deer: the first legend, THE VALVE OF THREE PENCE, gave way to VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE and VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE, and one die shows a wheel with THE WHEELE GOES ROUND. The reverses show three crowned hammers with CONNECTICVT or I AM GOOD COPPER, or a broad axe with J CUT MY WAY THROUGH. Daniel Freidus recorded 8 obverse and 5 reverse dies in 15 marriages. Freidus lists one example of this marriage, 4-C, which was unknown to Crosby. Cataloged as PCGS #213.

Rarity Notes

unique (Freidus 1994)

Cross References

Freidus 4-C