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1786 Depiction of a Nova Constellatio Copper

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:160.00 USD Estimated At:250.00 USD
1786 Depiction of a Nova Constellatio Copper
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Gentleman’s Magazine. 1786 ILLUSTRATION OF A NOVA CONSTELLATIO COPPER. The Gentleman’s Magazine. Vol. LVI, No. 4, Part II (October 1786). 8vo, self-covered. (817)-(912) pages. 2 copperplate engravings, one folding. Complete. Removed from previous binding; folding plate loose; near fine. The entire issue of this notable publication. Includes a brief article signed by "W.B." (page 868) discussing the recently minted Nova Constellatio coppers. Described as "a halfpenny lately struck by the United States of America," the coins are carefully described, though no mention that they were British products of Birmingham is made. Indeed, it is assumed by the unnamed writer that they are regular federal issues. Most importantly, the obverse and reverse of a 1785 piece are depicted on Plate II of this issue (which, oddly, directly precedes Plate I). Very few instances are known of 18th-century American coins being depicted in contemporary printed illustrations, making this a very desirable accompaniment to one of the actual coins.