Gloucester Shilling

About This Coin

An exceptionally rare brass coin dated 1714, bearing the inscription GLOUCESTER COVRT HOVSE along with a five-pointed star design. Long attributed to Gloucester County, Virginia, this enigmatic piece may have served as a local medium of exchange during a period of chronic coin shortages in the colonies. Only a handful of specimens are known to exist, making it one of the great rarities in colonial American numismatics. Its precise origins, purpose, and maker remain subjects of scholarly debate to this day.