1785 1/2P Inimica Tyrannis - Large Stars Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Crosby 3-C and Whitman 5660, this 1785 copper half penny bears the obverse legend INIMICA TYRANNIS ("Enemy of Tyrants") with a standing figure holding a sword and olive branch — martial readiness balanced by the offer of peace, a dual symbolism deeply embedded in the political iconography of the new American republic. The reverse displays the CONFEDERATIO legend surrounded by large stars, linking this piece to the broader Confederatio series of proposed national coinage patterns produced during the 1780s when Congress and private entrepreneurs explored designs for a uniform national currency. The Confederatio coppers are characterized by their interchangeable obverse and reverse die combinations: multiple obverse designs (including the Inimica Tyrannis, small eagle, large eagle, and other types) were paired with shared CONFEDERATIO reverse dies, creating a matrix of die combinations that are collected as a unified series. Struck in copper, the coin carries the 1/2P halfpenny denomination. Classified as very rare, with the notation that this is one of the more available Confederatio combinations — a relative assessment within a series where even the "common" varieties are genuinely scarce in absolute terms. The Crosby 3-C designation from Sylvester S. Crosby's pioneering 1875 study remains the standard attribution reference. These Confederatio issues represent one of the earliest attempts to establish a distinctly American coinage iconography, drawing on Classical republican symbolism to create visual identities for the coins of a nation still defining itself through its monetary system.

Rarity Notes

Very rare. One of the more available Confederatio combinations.

Cross References

Crosby 3-C; Whitman 5660