1786 NY 1/2P Non Vi Virtute Vici - Large Head Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Bearing the same NON VI VIRTUTE VICI ("I Conquered Not by Force but by Virtue") motto as its small head counterpart, this 1786 New York copper half penny is distinguished by a noticeably larger portrait that fills more of the obverse field. Cataloged as Whitman 5720 and PCGS #421, the large head variant represents a different obverse die cut by the same or a different die sinker, with the portrait's more generous proportions giving the coin a distinct visual character compared to the small head version. Both head sizes share the same general design concept — a laureate bust on the obverse and a seated figure on the reverse — but the die sinker's different approach to scale and proportion created two varieties readily separable at arm's length. The Non Vi Virtute Vici coppers were privately produced in New York during 1786, a period when the state had not authorized an official copper coinage despite the pressing need for small change. Struck in copper, weighing approximately 8 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Classified as rare, like its small head sibling, the large head variety is among the more challenging New York coppers to acquire. The NON VI VIRTUTE VICI motto — rooted in Classical republican virtue — connected these commercial products to the broader political discourse of the 1780s, lending an air of philosophical legitimacy to what were essentially speculative copper coins produced by private entrepreneurs for profit in an underserved monetary marketplace.

Rarity Notes

Rare.

Cross References

Whitman 5720