1722 1/2 P Rosa Americana, VTILEDVLC XF40 认证号-42868, PCGS号98

P. Scott Rubin

The 1722 Rosa American Half Pence with Americana abbreviated Ameri and the legend using V’s in place of U’s is an extremely rare variety of these Bath Metal coins. Although they are intended to circulate as halfpence these coins are more closely sized to a farthing and their metal content was not copper but a combination of metals known as Bath Metal. It appears that they circulated as whatever the local colonists seemed fit.

The obverse portrays a bust of King George I of Great Britain with the legend GEORGIUS DEI GRATIA REX, while the reverse features a central figure of a Rose with the legend ROSA AMERI: VTILE DVLCI 1722 (each word and the date are separated a dot except where the colon is used). This was the lowest of three denominations of William Woods contract coinage and the scarcest in terms of the total number of coins produced. There are also one pence and two pence Rosa Americana coinage of similar design.

The 1722 Rosa Ameri Vtile Dvlci variety is believed to consist of fewer than a dozen surviving examples.

It is interesting to note that Rosa Americana coinage appears to be the earliest coinage intended to represent America and circulate in all the British American Colonies.