1788 NJ 1/2P Running Fox After Legend Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Positioning a running fox after the obverse legend, this 1788 New Jersey copper is related to the "Fox Before Legend" type but places the fox in a different location and depicts it in a dynamic running stance. Cataloged as Maris 69-w and Whitman 4940, this scarce variety belongs to the Post-1776 States Coinage (1776-1788) series and is part of the popular fox variety group that has fascinated colonial copper collectors for generations. The fox varieties — including Fox Before Legend, Running Fox Right, and Running Fox After Legend — constitute a distinctive subgroup within the 1788 New Jersey horse-head series, and their existence has generated persistent scholarly debate about whether the fox was a die sinker's personal mark, a political symbol, or a playful design element added to differentiate production from competing minting operations. The running stance of the fox after the legend creates a composition where the small animal appears to be chasing or following the inscription around the coin's perimeter, adding a sense of narrative movement unusual in numismatic design. The reverse carries the standard New Jersey shield. The 1788 date marks the final year of New Jersey copper coinage, produced as the new U.S. Constitution was being ratified and federal authority over coinage was about to render state copper issues obsolete, giving these final-year varieties a particular historical poignancy as the last expressions of state monetary sovereignty.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Popular fox variety.

Cross References

Maris 69-w; Whitman 4940