1786 NJ Under Plow No Coulter Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Combining two distinctive design features on a single die, this 1786 New Jersey copper places the date under the plow rather than in its more typical position and simultaneously lacks the coulter — the vertical cutting blade that normally projects forward from the plow beam. The absence of the coulter, combined with the unusual date placement beneath the plow, makes this a doubly distinctive variety within the extensive 1786 New Jersey copper series. Cataloged as Maris 12-G and Whitman 4735, this scarce piece belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series. New Jersey authorized the coinage of copper halfpence in 1786 under a contract with Walter Mould, Thomas Goadsby, and Albion Cox, who established minting operations that produced a remarkable profusion of die varieties — the Maris reference catalogs over 140 distinct die marriages for the New Jersey series. The obverse of New Jersey coppers typically shows a plow with the state motto "NOVA CAESAREA" (Latin for "New Jersey"), while the reverse bears a shield design with "E PLURIBUS UNUM." The variation in date placement and the omission of the coulter reflect the individual die sinker's interpretation of the prescribed design, as multiple artisans working independently produced dies that shared common elements but differed in specific details — a hallmark of the decentralized production process that makes New Jersey coppers among the richest fields for colonial die variety study.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Combines two distinctive features.

Cross References

Maris 12-G; Whitman 4735