Gentlemen, I have recently stumbled across a coin that I believe to have some value. I have done some nominal research into its' history. Having no real knowledge in the field of numismatics, finding a reliable source to authentcate my coin has proven difficult. The coin is marked as a 1783 Nova Constellatio. It has a diameter of 3.2 centimeters and it weighs 4.99 grams. I would appreciate any advice offered. I simply don't know where to start. Thank you, Jon
Nova Constellatios are a private US colonial coinage based on the system proposed by Govenour Morris. They come dated 1783, 1785 and 1786 and in something like a dozen or so different varieties. By dates the rarest is the 1786, then 1783, and finally 1785. Care must be taken to be sure of the date on worn specimens since the style of the 5 makes it look very similar to that of the 3. While some of the varieties are rare, in general the Constellatios are fairly common. High grade coins can be expensive but 1785 examples in say Fine can be found for around $100 and in Good for $50 or less. Damaged or heavily worn coins sometimes for as little as $15 to $25. A 1783 would be worth a little more by possibly 50%. A 1786 on the other hand is much rarer and if a piece in Fine could be found it would probably sell for several hundred dollars. Copies of the Constellatio do exist but are not a frequently seen. Most are either marked or are obvious cast copies. At 4.99 grams I think yours may be too heavy but I don't have references here I can check. If you could post a picture I could give you an opinion. And I wiil try to check a couple of references on the weight and let you know what I find out tomorrow.
Welcome to the forum Jon. Don't forget, we have some very bright and knowledgeable Lady Numismatists in the group. The only reference to weight I have found is on the Notre Dame University coin website (one of 2600 hits Google came up with) which quotes an authority who says "the first coppers produced in the series were made at an acceptable weight of 140 grains (this came close to the British halfpenny weight of about 150 grains); but as the series progressed the weight of the coppers was reduced to 127 grains and then 116 grains." Since 4.99g is only 77 grains, it would appear that yours may be way too light to be genuine.
Ok I've checked a few things and if your weight and size is correct then it is almost certainly a fake. The largest size I can find listed is 30 mm and the weight nis around 8 grams. So yours is both too large and too light.
Conder101,Nova Constellatio Cents do not belong to the American colonial series.It is in the same series of coins as the Fugio Cent,the New York Cent,the New Jersey Cent,& the Vermont coins.The last piece that was issued under British colonial rule was the Virginia 1773 1/2d.
Well that's purely a matter of semantics really - but most of the civilized world, and every American coin collector I've ever met - consider every coin you just mentioned to be American colonial coinage.
One neat thing I found out about colonial coinageis... The Machin's Mills coins have the same design as the British LG cent in the same time frame...if you find a Machin's Mills coin dated 1792 you have a British LG cent and not a Machin's Mills as they didn't mint any that year... Speedy
The coins of America from the 1776-89 period were issued under the Articles of Confederation,so they cannot be regarded as colonial American coins.
Perhaps in your world they may not properly be so regarded, but if I choose to do so, the rules of English grammar assure me that I can regard anything as anything else, no matter how incorrectly. In this case many Americans generally lump everything before the 1789 Constitution as being part of the "Colonial Period", so the coins in question most assuredly can be regarded as Colonial.
Adian is at least partially right. The Fugios and the state coins are not Colonials, although they are normally labeled and collected as such, because we were no longer coloonies when they were issued. But I'm not sure that is the case with the Nova Constellatios. Although we had declared our independence and were operating under the Articles of Confederation, I don't think you can really say we were truly ourown country until after the signing of the peace treaty in 1783 where Great Britain renouced their claims. If they were struck before the signing of the treaty then they could be consideed colonials. I'm not sure when they were actually struck. No the 1785 and 86 coins would just be private pre-federal coins.
See Whats It Worth: 1776 Colonial Coin, by Serpent. Would this coin fall into this catagory? Thought I would throw this in for consideration of Colonial Coinage of interest.
Serpent,an American coin that was issued in 1776 is not a colonial coin.As I have mentioned previously,the last colonial American coin is the 1773 Virginia 1/2d.The American Colonial series includes the Massachusetts 1652 coins,the New England coins,& the Rosa Americana pieces as well as the Virginia 1/2d.Some people regard the St Patrick's coinage & William Woods' Irish coinage as being part of the American colonial series,but I classify them as Irish coins.
Call 'em what ya will Aidan - everybody else calls 'em colonial coins. The winged liberty dime may be the proper name, but they are known as Mercury dimes. The Buffalo nickel - doesn't have a buffalo on it at all, it's a bison. And in this country we don't speak English and we certainly don't spell our words as the English do - we speak American. But ya know what - they call it English when they teach it in school. The point being, you can be as techinical as you want with names - but people are still gonna call it what they wanna call it. And generally, what they call it - is what it is
