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

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Whitman 5725, this 1786 New York copper half penny bears the Latin legend NON VI VIRTUTE VICI ("I Conquered Not by Force but by Virtue") — a motto attributed to the ideology of civic republicanism that pervaded American political thought during the Confederation era. The "small head" designation distinguishes this obverse die from the "large head" variety (Whitman 5720), with the portrait on this version being noticeably more compact relative to the surrounding legend and border. The obverse features a laureate bust (sometimes interpreted as representing Indian or Classical figures), and the reverse displays a seated female figure representing Liberty or Justice. The Non Vi Virtute Vici coppers are among the rarer types in the New York copper series, and the small head variant is classified as rare in the rarity notes. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 8 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #422. New York coppers of 1786 were privately produced during the period when New York State had not yet established an authorized coinage program (New York never formally authorized state copper coinage as Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, and Massachusetts did), making these pieces entirely private ventures whose legal status was ambiguous. The NON VI VIRTUTE VICI motto resonated with the post-Revolutionary emphasis on moral authority over military force, though the practical purpose of these coppers was simply to profit from the public's need for small change.

Rarity Notes

Rare.

Cross References

Whitman 5725