Higley or Granby Coppers – 1737 – 1739

The History of Granby or Higley Coppers – 1737-1739

Dr. Samuel Higley owned a copper mine in the outskirts of Granby, CT. He mined the copper ore that he could find, created dies and struck numbers of copper coins. It is known that Dr. Higley died in 1737 and that the mining and minting operations were continued by his brother, John Higley, also of Granby.  Coins were struck between 1737 and 1739 but none have been found to date dated 1738.

The coins were unusual in design and in the message. The obverse depicts a deer facing left. Around the periphery was “VALVE ME AS YOU PLEASE.” The Roman numeral for 3 – “III” was below the deer. On the reverse of the coin at some point were three hammers or, as seen below, an incused broad ax. There is even a reverse with a Wheel with spokes on it. Around the reverse periphery on this example is “CUT MY WAY THROUGH.”

There were seven different obverse dies and four different reverse dies so there are numerous die combinations. 

These coppers, being rich and pure, were highly sought after to be used as an alloy with Gold. Higley would change the admonitions on his coins to suit his purpose. The “VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE,” but when a glut of his coppers was spent and did not easily exchange, Higley stopped minting them for several months. When he resumed minting them, he had changed the reverse motto to “I AM GOOD COPPER,” which was a contemporary statement of the value of his coinage.

The complete extent of the number of coins struck is unknown, but the recorded prices below indicate that several dozen survive – enough to make them very scarce but still enough for them to be collectible. Appearance today in a major auction is a newsworthy event.

Embrace the thrill of collecting and explore our exceptional assortment of rare U.S. coins.