Q.David Bowers
The fate of the Council inquiry is unknown, but the success of the Maryland pieces in circulation have led historians to believe that some type of arrangement was made which did not prohibit the coins' further issue.
It is possible that additional pieces were coined in Maryland following the May 1, 1661 legislation which provided for the establishment of a native mint.
Specimens exist today of the various silver denominations, the groat, sixpence and shilling. In addition, several specimens are known of a copper-alloy denarium or penny, apparently made only in pattern form.
Rosa Americana Coinage
William Wood, a metallurgist of Wolverhampton, county of Stafford, England, became interested in coinage as early as 1717, in which year he had prepared several pattern halfpenny, penny, and twopence coins. On July 12, 1722, he obtained two patents or contracts fromKing George I, who granted him the right to coin "tokens" for America and Ireland. It has been stated that the Duchess of Kendall, a German baroness who endeared herself to the king, helped Wood secure the royal privilege.
At the time there was a severe shortage of circulating coins in the American Colonies. Wood's proposed issues were to be made of a new alloy, called bath metal, consisting of 75% copper, 24.7% zinc, and 0.3% silver.
The royal patent specified that the privilege was to last for 14 years, during which time tokens, as they were referred to, in the denominations of halfpenny, penny, and twopence, could be struck to the extent of 300 tons. During the first four years of the term no more than 200 tons were to be struck, and for the last ten years of the term, no more than ten tons were to be struck in any given year.
Circulation for the pieces designated for America was limited to the "islands, dominions, or territories belonging to His Majesty, His heirs, or His successors in America, or any of them . . ." Elaborate provisions were made for assaying the coins at regular intervals to verify their metallic content. Legal precautions were taken against counterfeiting. Apparently one Kingsmill Eyres, Esq., and a Mr. Marsland, the latter a hardware merchant in Cornhill, and several others were involved in the coinage. Crosby cites a reference by Snelling, who mentioned that Marsland "had great quantities of them in his cellar and was ruined by it." He died in poverty, serving as a housekeeper at Gresham College. It was further related that the dies were engraved by Messrs. Lammas, Standbroke, and Harold. "They [the coins] were struck at the French Change, in Hogg Lane, Seven Dials, by an engine that raised and let fall a heavy weight upon them when made hot, which is the most expeditious way of striking Bath metal, which was the sort of metal they were made of."
It was further related that Sir Isaac Newton was appointed comptroller to oversee the operation, but later Newton resigned and at his request Mr. Barton, his nephew, was appointed in his stead. It is believed that examples of this coinage were struck both in London and in Bristol.
Although the pieces made for America, designated as the Rosa Americana coinage, were given the nominal values of halfpenny, penny, and twopence, in actuality they were only about half the weight of similar British denominations. For example, the Rosa Americana penny was of the same approximate size as a British halfpenny.
Efforts were made to have the pieces circulate in America. For example, on October 29, 1725, the Duke of Newcastle wrote to the governor of Massachusetts Bay, enclosing a copy of the Wood patent and requested that the governor give "all due encouragement and assistance" to have the pieces used in the channels of commerce. Despite these and other efforts, Rosa Americana coins were not popular in the colonies. They circulated only to a very limited extent. Most of the specimens known today in American cabinets have been acquired from British sources in recent times, indicating that the Rosa Americana pieces, rejected in America, did see circulation in England, probably at values reduced from the denominations originally assigned to them.
The 1717 Wood patterns depict George I on the obverse and, on the reverse, the denomination 1/2, or I, or II, with a crown above. No reference was made to America. Beginning in 1722 an extensive series of Rosa Americana issues made its appearance. Most were dated 1722 or 1723. 1724 and later issues, considered patterns, were also circulated.
Typically the obverse of the Rosa Americana coinage consisted of a bold portrait of George I surrounded by the Legend GEORGIUS D:G: MAG: BRI FRA: ET HIB:REX., which signified that George was king of Britain and her possessions. The reverse depicted a rose surrounded by: ROSA AMERICANA and UTILE DULCI, translating to "the American rose" and "the useful with the sweet." The intention was to prepare a coinage which would be distinctly American, in contrast with the British coins in circulation in the American colonies at the time.
In 1724 several interesting patterns were produced, all of which are exceedingly rare today. An interesting design used on several different issues depicted a rose bush with the legend ROSA SINE SPINA ("rose without thorns"). One such piece depicted the bust of Wilhelmina, wife of King George I, on the obverse.
In 1727 a pattern halfpenny with the bust of George II on the obverse and with the ROSA SINE SPINA legend on the reverse appeared. In 1733 a large pattern twopence depicting George II facing left and with a redesigned rose on the reverse was made. Varieties of these rare issues exist.
It is presumed that the American colonists, being aware of the intrinsic value of money, simply refused to accept Rosa Americana coinage at twice the value assigned to other contemporary coins then in circulation.
Wood's Hibernia Coinage
Concurrent with the Rosa Americana patent, William Wood obtained on July 12, 1722, a franchise to produce coins for circulation in Ireland. Patterns were produced in several design variations of the copper halfpenny and farthing. The adopted style depicted King George I on the obverse with the legend GEORGIUS D:G: REX: ("George, king by the grace of God"). The reverse bore the notation HIBERNIA ("Ireland") and the date. At the center was a seated goddess holding the emblem of Ireland, a harp.
Wood's coinage for Ireland, authorized toa total value of 100,000 pounds sterling, commenced in 1722. By 1723 a large furor arose in Ireland concerning the pieces. Jonathan Swift, among others, participated in a propaganda campaign, Some details of which were related in his The Drapier Papers. It was asserted that the issues for Ireland were produced without Irish advice or consent, that the arrangements were made in secret and for the private profit of Wood, and that the pieces were seriously underweight. The allegations were true.
So great was the clamor that King George reduced the authorized coinage to a total value of 40,000 pounds sterling. The controversy continued, and in 1725 Wood relinquished his patent in exchange for a pension of 3,000 pounds per year divided into three separate payments of 1,000 pounds per year, for an eight-year period.
Numismatic tradition has long associated Wood's Hibernia pieces with America, but there seems to be no connection apart from the common authorship of the Rosa Americana and Hibernia coins. It may be that the Hibernia pieces, following their rejection in Ireland, were shipped to America, but if this was the case they circulated only to a small extent in America and were not the subject of any special attention or notice. Today, most Hibernia pieces in collectors' cabinets trace their origin to 19th and 20th century sources in England. It is presumed that the bulk of Wood's Hibernia coinage circulated in that country, possibly at a reduced value from that originally intended.