1785 VT 1/2P Vermonts Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Bearing the simplified obverse legend VERMONTS rather than the more formal VERMONTIS or VERMONTENSIUM spellings found on other die varieties, this 1785 Vermont copper halfpenny cataloged as RR-3 and Whitman 2190 represents one of the earliest issues in Vermont's authorized state copper coinage. The landscape obverse — distinctive among all American colonial and state coinages — depicts a plow in the foreground with the Green Mountains and a rising sun in the background, creating an agrarian pastoral scene that celebrates Vermont's agricultural identity. The reverse features the eye of providence with the legend QUARTA DECIMA STELLA ("The Fourteenth Star"), expressing Vermont's aspiration to become the fourteenth state admitted to the Union, which it would achieve in 1791. The VERMONTS legend is interpreted as a simplified or abbreviated form used on one of the first die pairings created for the series, before the engravers settled on the more grammatically correct Latin forms. Vermont's copper coinage was authorized by the state legislature in June 1785, granting Reuben Harmon Jr. and associates the exclusive right to mint copper coins for two years — a franchise later extended through 1788. Scarce as an early Vermont copper type, the VERMONTS legend variety appeals to collectors who appreciate the series' unique landscape design and the linguistic evolution visible across its die varieties, documenting the practical challenges of Latin inscription on coins produced at a frontier minting facility with limited access to classical scholarship.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. An early Vermont copper type with the VERMONTS legend.

Cross References

RR-3; Whitman 2190