1787 1/2P Nova Eborac - Small Head Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Whitman 5815 and Breen 989, this 1787 Nova Eborac copper half penny features the small head obverse portrait — a more compact bust compared to the large head variant (Breen 988). NOVA EBORAC is the Latin name for New York (from "New York" via the Latinized form of Eboracum, the Roman name for York, England), and these coppers were privately produced for circulation in New York during the Confederation period. The obverse displays a laureate bust with the NOVA EBORAC legend, while the reverse shows a seated figure of Liberty or Justice with a liberty cap on a pole, accompanied by the legend VIRT ET LIB (Virtue and Liberty). The small head variety is distinguishable from the large head type by the portrait's proportions relative to the surrounding legend, with the small head leaving more open field space around the bust. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 7 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #481. Classified as moderately scarce, Nova Eborac coppers are among the more readily available New York-related colonial issues, making them accessible to collectors building a state-by-state colonial copper collection. Walter Breen's encyclopedia number 989 places this variety within the comprehensive classification of early American coins. The Nova Eborac coppers are generally attributed to private minters operating in or connected to New York, though the exact workshop and die sinker remain unidentified with certainty.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Whitman 5815; Breen 989