Wood's Hibernia Coins

About This Coin

Produced under a controversial royal patent granted to English ironmaster William Wood in 1722, Wood's Hibernia Coins were originally intended for circulation in Ireland but found their way to the American colonies as well. The patent authorized Wood to produce copper halfpence and farthings for Ireland, a scheme that provoked fierce opposition led by Jonathan Swift, whose famous "Drapier's Letters" (1724) savaged the coins as debased and harmful to Irish commerce. The resulting controversy — in which Swift's pseudonymous pamphlets mobilized Irish public opinion against Wood's coinage — led to the patent's withdrawal in 1725, but not before substantial quantities had been struck. The coins feature a laureate bust (usually identified as George I) on the obverse and a seated Hibernia (personification of Ireland) playing a harp on the reverse, with the legend HIBERNIA and the date. Surplus Wood's Hibernia coins were shipped to the American colonies, where they circulated alongside other British coppers and became part of the diverse monetary landscape of colonial America. Within the Pre-1776 Private and Regional Issues (1616-1766) series, Wood's Hibernia Coins provide a vivid case study in colonial monetary politics and the transatlantic circulation patterns that distributed coins far beyond their intended markets. A notable auction result reached $43K in GEM UNC grade at Stack's.