History of Ephraim Brasher
Some of America’s earliest and most famous private gold coins were the doubloons struck by Ephraim Brasher in 1787. In 1787, Brasher and John Baily petitioned the New York legislature for the right to strike copper coinage for the state. But the legislature investigated the issue and tabled it indefinitely. He was a private assayer, and in 1792, was hired by the United States Mint to assay foreign gold and silver coins. After assaying a coin, Brasher would impress his “EB” in an oval onto these coins to display that they meet standards for weight and purity.
Design of the 1787 Brasher Gold Doubloon
Brasher’s design on the obverse displayed the sun rising over the mountains with a river in the foreground. His name “BRASHER” is below. Around the periphery is a ring of dots, and encircling them in Latin is inscribed, “NOVA EBORACA COLUMBIA EXCELSIOR,” which translates to “New York and America: Ever upward.”
On the reverse is a heraldic-type eagle with wings spread, a shield covers its chest, and there is an olive branch in the right talon, and arrows in the left talon. The eagle is facing left, and 13 five-pointed stars encircle the eagle’s head. The eagle and stars are encircled within a wreath, and around the periphery is the motto “E PLURIBUS UNUM.”
Brasher stamped all known specimens with a punch bearing his initials “EB” inside an oval. One specimen has the punch impressed on the shield at the center of the eagle, while the remaining specimens all have the punch impressed in the eagle’s right wing. This punch is identical to the hallmark impressed on much of Brasher’s silverware and numerous contemporary foreign gold coins that he acquired.
1742/1786 Brasher Lima-style Doubloon Design Details
It was not until 1915 that it became known that Brasher also created a gold coin very similar to those minted by the Lima, Peru Mint. The Lima, Peru 8 Escudos coin, also known as Spanish Colonial Gold Cobs, was dated 1742, but it was believed to have been struck around 1786. There are but two known specimens of this gold dubloon.
The obverse has two pillars rising from ocean waves. A small fleur-de-lis appears above each pillar. The center is divided into nine sections, with the inscription “L 8 V” (Lima, 8 Escudos), “P V A” (Peru), and “7 4 2” (for 1742). Around the border is the Latin legend “PHILIP • V • D • G • HISPAN • ET • IND • REX.” “NY” is stamped between the “G” and “H” of the legend, and “BRASHER” is stamped in small letters between the bottom waves.
The reverse centers on the Jerusalem cross, and castles appear in the northwest and southeast quadrants, while lions appear in the northeast and southwest quadrants. “EB” is engraved in the center of the cross.
(1742 Lima, Peru 8 Escudos – Obverse [left], Reverse [right]. – Two known)
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