1787 1/2P Immunis Columbia Eagle Reverse - Plain Edge Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

The most available type within the Immune Columbia family, this 1787 copper halfpenny with plain edge is cataloged as Whitman 5760 and features the standard seated Liberty obverse with the IMMUNIS COLUMBIA ("America is free") legend paired with an eagle reverse. The 1787 Immunis Columbia pieces are considerably more accessible than the exceedingly rare 1785 patterns in gold, silver, and copper, making them the entry point for collectors exploring this important early American coin type. The plain edge is the more common edge treatment, with the ornamented-edge variant (Whitman 5770) being significantly scarcer. The seated Liberty obverse depicts a female figure holding a liberty cap on a pole — iconography drawn from classical Roman imagery that would influence the design of official United States coinage for the next century. The eagle reverse connects the Immunis Columbia pieces to the emerging American national symbolism that would ultimately be codified in the Great Seal and the first federal coin designs. Produced during the same year that the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, the 1787 Immunis Columbia coppers belong to the transitional moment when the nation's monetary future was being actively debated and multiple coinage proposals competed for adoption. Scarce but the most available Immune Columbia type, the plain-edge 1787 halfpenny offers collectors a genuine piece of pre-federal American coinage at a fraction of the cost demanded by the 1785 patterns, while still providing a tangible connection to the experimental monetary designs of the Confederation era.

Rarity Notes

Scarce but the most available Immune Columbia type.

Cross References

Whitman 5760