The History of Higley (Granby) Coppers
The Higley (Granby) coppers are among the most distinctive privately produced pieces of early colonial America. Struck in Connecticut in the late 1730s, they sit at the intersection of local industry, practical commerce, and the improvisational money culture of the pre-federal period. They are typically linked to Dr. Samuel Higley, a physician associated with the Granby area (then part of Simsbury), who owned or controlled access to a copper deposit often referred to as Copper Hill.
Higley’s venture combined mining, metalworking, and token production at a time when small change was scarce. It is unclear whether Samuel or his brother John should be credited as the principal issuer, but multiple references connect the tokens to the Higley family and to copper obtained locally from the Granby area.
These pieces draw interest because most are dated within a short time span. Examples are commonly found dated 1737 and 1739, and some are undated. Researchers frequently note the absence of a confirmed 1738-dated coin, creating the familiar shorthand “1737 and 1739.”
Designs, Mottos, and the Message Behind the Metal
The standard obverse depicts a deer, generally facing left, which became the recognizable trademark of the series. Most Higley coppers use the deer motif, with the notable exception of the wheel variety, often described as unique and known for the legend “THE WHEELE GOES ROUND”. Beneath the deer appears a Roman numeral “III”, reinforcing an intended value of threepence.
The legends are where Higley coppers become especially revealing. Early pieces can state or imply a threepence value, but several types show the phrase “VALUE ME AS YOU PLEASE”, spelled “VALVE” on some dies. This is commonly interpreted as a response to skepticism about accepting a coin at a fixed value when its size and copper content compared unfavorably to the more familiar British halfpence.
Reverse designs vary more than the obverse. The most widely discussed central reverse elements are three crowned hammers and an incuse broad axe, and these two motifs help define major subtypes. A modern survey of the series notes that the “three hammers” pieces are dated 1737, while broad-axe pieces tend to be dated 1739 or appear without a date. Some reverses also include the motto “I CUT MY WAY THROUGH”, a phrase that reads like an industrial boast as much as a statement of perseverance.
The interplay of motto and market acceptance is a central theme. When tokens circulate widely and begin to be discounted or questioned, the issuer has an incentive to adjust messaging. Another well-known reverse carries the reassurance “I AM GOOD COPPER”, a motto closely associated with the three-hammers type and often discussed as part of the series’ messaging around acceptability and value.
Scarcity, Die Combinations, and Why They Matter
Higley coppers are scarce but collectible, and die variety is a major part of their study. References differ on exact counts, but a leading summary reports eight obverse dies and five reverse dies, producing a limited set of known combinations. The number of recorded dies suggests the series was produced in more than a token handful of pieces, even though overall survival today is very limited.
Surviving pieces are scarce, but enough exist for dedicated collectors to build type sets. Their appeal rests in that balance: a locally mined copper turned into money-like tokens, marked with candid instructions about value, and preserved as tangible evidence of how colonists bridged the gap between commerce and coinage in the 1730s.
