The Bar Copper Cent: An Undated Cent Shrouded in Mystery
The United States just after the Revolutionary War found itself at a loss for small coinage. The United States Mint wouldn’t be established until 1792, so private British minters took advantage of the opportunity to enrich themselves from the colonies that had just defeated their empire by creating a coinage that they could sell to the colonies.
One such private minter was George Wyon of Birmingham, England. Wyon recognized the shortage of small change and, reportedly at the request of a New York merchant, designed a coin for the new nation.
The obverse of the coin displayed the interlocking letter of “USA” and the reverse had 13 horizontal bars running the length of the coin. Its design was intentionally simple. It was undated and no denomination was required on a copper coin of that size. The coins were unusual because they bore neither date nor denomination. Although commerce dubbed them “Bar Cents,” their weight more closely matches that of British halfpennies.
What We Can Know About the Bar Copper Cent
Even though the coins are undated, the date of their manufacture and first use is attributed to 1785. The New Jersey Gazette newspaper reported on November 12, 1785, that an influx of new copper coins was circulating within New York. The article described the coin’s close resemblance to Continental Army soldiers’ buttons, noting the one major difference being the “USA” letters are all of the same height on the buttons, while the “S” was noticeably larger than the “U” and the “A” on the coins. The numbers of coins struck and shipped to New York are not known, but it is estimated that an estimated 200 to 250 specimens survive. The majority of these coins are well circulated, but only a small number of Mint State examples are known, including pieces certified in very high Mint State grades (up to MS66).
The Bolen Reproduction
John Bolen was born in New York City in 1826, but moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1850, where he’d spend the rest of his life. While starting a number of businesses and working a series of jobs, his most successful endeavors were his engraving and die-sinking businesses, for which he is well known in numismatic circles. Bolen was a member of the Springfield Antiquarian Society and a corresponding member of the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society who undertook realistic copies of a number of colonial coins, including the Bar Cent. His copy is a faithful reproduction overall, with one key diagnostic exception. On original Bar Cents, on the obverse, the “A” is on top of the “S” where they intersect. On Bolen’s copies, the “S” is on top of the “A.” There is an additional way to discern an original Bar Cent from a copy. Genuine Bar Cents have a small thorn-like spur on the far right of the second reverse bar from the top.
Collectors interested in adding colonial currency to their collections can shop our colonial collection.
