New England Elephant Token – 1694

Learn About 1694 New England Elephant Tokens

Much like the Carolina Elephant Halfpenny Tokens which were struck in 1694, the New England Elephant tokens have another mysterious past. No one knows for certain why they were made but numerous stories abound. However, like the Carolina Elephant tokens, the New England Elephant tokens also bear the date – 1694.

On the New England Elephant token, the obverse depicts a large, tusked, African Elephant. The reverse states “GOD PRESERVE NEW ENGLAND 1694” and may have weakly or unevenly struck lettering. There is only one known variety of New England Elephant tokens. Only three examples are known, certainly making this the rarest of all three types of Elephant Tokens.  Two of the three known examples are struck slightly off-center, like the one pictured below.

All varieties of Elephant Tokens are related and were made by the Tower Mint of London. The proof of that is in that all three varieties – London, Carolina, and New England – all use the same Elephant obverse die, but it is sometimes repositioned on the coin. At times the tips of the tusks are near the milled edge and at other times the tusks are farther away. But the design is the same.

The specific original use of these tokens is unknown but some did circulate in the Colonies. Were they English promotional halfpenny tokens to inspire interest in the Colonies? If you were an English citizen in 1694, would it be believable that Elephants existed in the New England colonies? That is a plausible explanation but no one knows for certain.

The example depicted in the Red Book (A Guide Book of United States Coinage) is perhaps the finest example known at AU-58. It has not been seen in the numismatic market since an auction event in 1983. Even with only three tokens, the planchet weights vary greatly. 

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