John Chalmers Coins

About This Coin

Struck in silver at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1783 by goldsmith John Chalmers, these privately issued coins represent a remarkable act of monetary entrepreneurship during the chaotic post-Revolutionary period when no national mint existed and competing currencies created commercial confusion. Chalmers produced coins in three denominations — threepence, sixpence, and shilling — using dies engraved by Thomas Sparrow, a local silversmith and engraver. The designs are distinctive and memorable: the shilling features clasped hands on the obverse (symbolizing unity and fair dealing) and a serpent devouring a lizard on the reverse, while the sixpence and threepence carry related imagery reflecting the principles of honest commerce. Chalmers's coins circulated primarily in the Annapolis region, where his reputation as a trustworthy goldsmith lent credibility to his private monetary issue. Struck in silver with a plain edge, these coins are among the few privately issued silver pieces from the Confederation period, as most private monetary activity focused on copper tokens. Within the Post-1776 Private and Regional Issues (1778-1820) series, John Chalmers Coins hold a unique position as the work of a single identified craftsman whose coins bridged the gap between colonial and federal monetary systems. Their attribution to a specific individual and location — unlike many anonymous private issues — provides an unusually complete historical narrative for early American numismatics.