Foreign Coins used in Colonial America

The topic of Foreign Coins used in Colonial Americas (from the first European discovery of the New World to around 1820) interests me greatly especially after reading Todd Cook's "The Lost Coins of Early Americans". Redbook's listing of colonial coins only gives a vague idea of the coinage used in the colonies, relegating their list to only coins that were struck specifically for or in the 13 colonies. It leaves out the many other foreign powers that had a foothold in areas that would later become part of the United States.

Let us not forget that the Russia Empire began colonizing present day Alaska in the 1780s and even established a fort in northern California in 1812. The Swedes settled in modern day Delaware and New Jersey in 1638. The complete list of foreign powers in the Colonial era of North and South America is as follows (please correct me if I am wrong):

Spain - (New Spain, South America, Caribbean), Commonly found foreign coins: (Reales of various denominations, maravedis, blancas)
Portugal - (Brazil), Commonly found foreign coins: (various copper\silver Reis denominations)
Netherlands - (New Amsterdam, Caribbean), Commonly found foreign coins: (Lion Dollar, duit)
Sweden - (Delaware, New Jersey), Commonly found foreign coin: (1/4 Ore)
England - (Canada, 13 colonies, Caribbean, Bermuda) Commonly found foreign coins: (Halfpenny, farthing)
France - (Canada, Mississippi river basin region, Louisiana, Caribbean, French Guiana) Commonly found foreign coins: (Copper Sou, Liard)
Denmark - (Danish West Indies, Caribbean) - (various Skilling denominations)
Russia - (Alaska, California, Hawaii), Commonly found coins: (1748 1/2 Kopek, Siberian 5 Kopek)

Many of these countries' coins found there way over to the new world through trade. The Spanish reales, the Dutch "Lion Dollar", the English Halfpenny\farthing, and the French Copper\Billion Deniers varieties are all heavily mentioned in various sources. I have tried to find references to other types of coins came over besides the usual suspects.

For starters, I have looked for archaeological references of various states to see what coins have been excavated at past digs. Many of the archaeology survey sources are extremely hard to find online; especially regarding evidence of Dutch coins found in the new world. However there are few good websites that I have found out there. The AVPA Jamestown Rediscovery website does have neat pictures of English\Irish coins and jetons that they have found at the Jamestown settlement site. Also Alaska's Department of Natural Resources - Castle Hill Archaeological Project gives some good insight to Russian Kopek coins as well as Japanese coins that were found at Castle Hill and used in Russian America.

Many metal detecting forum sites seem to provide good insight to what colonial era foreign coins are being found out there as well.

If any of you know of other websites (or printed sources) which have good archaeological information\photos regarding coins used in Russian America, New Sweden, Danish West Indies, New Amsterdam\Dutch colonies, French colonies, New Spain, Canada\13 colonies, Brazil, etc. please don't hesitate to post that info here. Also if you have colonial era foreign coin finds of your own please share them here. Thanks.

 

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A doubloon and escudo (Spain)

 

Dutch VOC -

 

Hi Ripley,

I haven't seen much evidence of the Dutch VOC coins being found in the United States. With my online search, I did find a mention of a metal detectorist unearthing a 1752 VOC Duit in North Carolina.

1752 VOC Duit found in North Carolina. Links:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/190811-metal-detecting-my-first-1700-s-penny.html

and a video of the VOC coin being found:



-Here is some other links regarding a couple of Non-VOC Duits being found in the United States by metal detectorists:

1783 Utrecht Duit found on a beach in New Jersey. Link:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/265536-1783-new-york-penny-dutch-duit.html

1667 or '87 Utrecht Duit found in mid-Hudson Valley area of upstate New York. Link:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/177655-1600-s-dutch-coin-early-american-site.html

-As far as Dutch coins go, the only other mention I can find is the Castine Hoard that was found in Castine, Maine. Among the Dutch coins represented in the hoard was a 1641 Lion Dollar and a 1682 Three Guilders. Link:

More about the Castine Hoard:
http://www.wilsonmuseum.org/bulletins/summer2003.html

 

Great info Dave.
These were the coinage of pre-British New York City (New Amsterdam).

 

As far as the New Sweden settlement goes, the only mention regarding Swedish coins being found in Delaware was in 1747 when some soldiers were digging a redoubt at the ruins of old Fort Christina near present day Wilmington, Delaware. In doing so the soldiers uncovered a coin from the reign of Sweden's Queen Christina (presumably a low denomination copper 1/4 Ore from the 1630s-40s).



Links:

http://books.google.com/books?id=GlsVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA11&dq=new sweden coin found&hl=en&sa=X&ei=WRzrUfXfKoXU9QT0voCQAw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=new sweden coin found&f=false

and

http://books.google.com/books?id=IEjjAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA166&dq=ore new sweden&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nBvrUZncBoPc8wSAq4CYCQ&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=new sweden coin found&f=false

 

Ohhh thoses Vikings, Now if they could only find some 11th century Viking gold in Newfoundland !!!!

 

Here is a little more about Russia American coin finds in Alaska and at Fort Ross, California. Links:

Alaska's Department of Natural Resources - Castle Hill Archaeological Project:
http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/oha/castlehill/chptseven.htm


Examples of Russian coins from the Castle Hill, Stika, Alaska workshop area. The three on the left are denga (1/2 kopek pieces) one shown with 1748 date; the one on the right is a polushka (1/4 kopek piece).


Japanese coins (Kan-ei Tsuho) from the Castle Hill, Stika, Alaska workshop area,Edo Period (1638-1868).


-Excavation of an Early Contact village in Kenai Peninsula, Aialik Bay, Alaska – where a 1748 Russian half-kopeck coin was found.


http://www.nps.gov/akso/nature/scie...jords-Oral-History-and-Archeology-Project.pdf


-Excavation of the Fort Ross, California cemetery - where a Siberian copper 5 Kopek from the Kolyvan mint from the reign of Catherine II was found.
http://www.pcas.org/assets/documents/PagesfromV39N4-2.pdf


-1740 Ivan III pattern rouble at the Alaska State Museum, Juneau, Alaska.
http://www.geocities.ws/sgodin_98/gallery/gallery.html

 

These Portuguese gold coins circulated all over the world, including the American colonies.
They are mentioned in almanacs giving exchange values in dollars.
Also were favorites of pirates.


Portugal Gold 4000 Reis "Moidore" 1704 - Lisbon Mint
Obverse:
Maltese Cross
IN HOC SIGNO VINCES ("In This Sign, Conquer") / 1704
Reverse:
Crowned shield of Portugal
PETRVS II D G PORT ET ALG REX / 4000
Size: 29mm
Weight: 10.71gm


Portugal Gold 6400 Reis "Half Joe" 1738 - Rio de Janiero (Brazil) Mint
Obverse:
Bust of John V facing right
IOHANNES V D G PORT ET ALG REX / R/1738
Reverse:
Crowned shield of Portugal
Size: 32mm
Weight: 14.06gm

 

Right. There is often confusion surrounding the VOC coins. This coin was made for circulation in the Dutch East Indies in Indonesia. Dutch New York was part of the Dutch West Indies. So except for some scattered coins that found their way to North America they did not circulate there. Yet some coin sellers, whether intentionally to spark interest, or unintentionally, sell them as a coin that circulated in the colonial US.

 

Now on to French Coins:


- A 1643 French 1/12 Ecu found at a Revolutionary War site. Link:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/coins/61498-1643-french-ecu.html


-A 1655 French Liard D - found in Massachusetts. Link:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/what/146228-1655-coin-some-letters-readable-back.html


-A 1655-1658 French Liard E - Found in St. Kitts And Nevis. Link:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/241873-french-liard.html


-A 1655-1658 French Liard D - Found in Pennsylvania. Link:
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/264154-large-cent-french-coin.html

-A 1695 French Liard D - found at the site of the sutler house of Fort Edward in New York. Link:
http://books.google.com/books?id=MV...oBQ&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=liard&f=false


-A 1710-1713 French 6 deniers - Found at a old colonial celler in somewhere in the eastern United States.
http://www.americandetectorist.com/forum/index.php?topic=12777.0


-1721 and 1722 Colonies Francoises Copper Sou coins found at the site of New Chartres, Illinois.
http://news.illinois.edu/news/06/1002stlouis.html


- A 1789 French Guiana 2 Sous - found on a beach somewhere on the east coast of the United States. Link:





-The Castine, Maine coin hoard again - which contained silver French coins ranging from 1642-1682 of Louis XIV of 4 sols and ecu denominations. Link:
http://www.wilsonmuseum.org/bulletins/summer2003.html

-A Neat site by Colonial Williamsburg Online Museum Exhibits. “Coins & Currency in Colonial America” that also displays French coins. Link:
http://www.history.org/history/museums/coinExhibit/

 

I know. I have been pulling my hair out to find any mention or references of Dutch VOC coins being found or used in the New World to no avail. Yet hundred of Sellers on eBay try to pass off the 1700s era Dutch VOC duits as American colonial coins, aka "The New York Penny". eBay seems to be the only reference that comes up when doing a search on the Dutch VOC duit coins and Colonial America. However if these coins really did not circulate much or at all in Colonial America, the history of the VOC and the Dutch colonization in Asia is still an interesting subject by itself nevertheless.

 

Nice Portuguese gold Willieboyd. Here is an article I found while searching earlier about a not so nice and holed copper Portuguese-Brazilian 1736 X Reis found at a colonial site in Albany, New York.
Link:
http://cneha.org/newsletters/n60mar05.pdf

 

Here is a link to archaeological finds at the Los Adaes site near Natchitoches, Louisiana:

http://www.crt.state.la.us/siteexplorer/_html/2_02_00.htm

On this site it shows a picture of a Spanish maravedis coin that was found there.

 

Here is another link of cut and holed Spanish Colonial coins found at an excavation of Davidson, Arkansas.

Link: http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1244

 

Here is a NPS link to a French billion Douzains aux croissants coin of Henry II (1547-1559) found near Cape Canaveral, Florida and possibly connected to the French settlement of Fort Caroline of 1564.
Link: http://www.nps.gov/archeology/sites/npsites/canaveral.htm

 

Here is a link regarding the excavation of the site of Fort St. Louis near Inez, Texas established by Robert Cavelier de La Salle in 1685. Some of the coins found were a
a silver Spanish Colonial clipped, or "cob," coin of 4-reales and a 1655-1657 French Liard A of King Louis XIV.

Link: http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/stlouis/

 

Here are a couple of links showing artifacts from several Native American sites in Texas where coins were found.

Links:

- A 1738 Spanish Colonial silver 8 Reales
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/coast/images/he3.html



- A 1749 French silver ecu, holed
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/gilbert/french.html#who

 

Here is a link to a book online regarding archaeological excavations of Dutch Colonial sites in New York. On the cover of the book is a 1618 2 Krone of Denmark that was presumably found at one of these Dutch Colonial sites.

Link:

http://books.google.com/books?id=lzh4ITS18wgC&pg=PA2&dq=new+york+dutch+artifacts+coin&hl=en&sa=X&ei=uYfsUamnPI6c8wSq74DYBA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Here is a picture of both sides of another 1618 2 Krone of Denmark:

 

Here is a link to a New York Times article from August 31, 1921 regarding an Irish 1782 Half Penny of King George III found at the site of Fort Sterling in New York City.
Link:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F60E14FB3F5A1B7A93C3AA1783D85F458285F9


and another link about several hundred of these Half Pennies being found at Coin Beach in Delaware.
Link:
http://www.discoversea.com/NY_Times_Article.html