(1659) Lord Baltimore Maryland Fourpence

Coin Details

Auction Record

$111,625 • AU53 • 01-08-2015 • Heritage Auctions (unique Small Bust)

Description

Among the earliest silver coins associated with the American colonies, the Lord Baltimore Fourpence — also called a Groat — was struck at the Royal Mint in London under the authority of Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore and Proprietor of the Maryland colony. Cataloged as Hodder 1-A / W-1010 for the Large Bust variety and Hodder 2-B / W-1020 for the Small Bust variety, with additional references in Breen 63-64, this denomination occupies a pivotal position in colonial American numismatics. The obverse depicts Lord Baltimore's portrait facing left with the Latin legend CAECILIVS DNS TERRAE MARIAE (Cecil, Lord of the Land of Maryland), while the reverse displays the Baltimore family coat of arms surmounted by a crown with the Roman numeral IIII indicating the four-pence denomination. Two die combinations are known: the Large Bust is scarce but obtainable, while the Small Bust (Hodder 2-B) is unique — only a single specimen exists, making it one of the greatest individual rarities in American colonial coinage. Struck in silver at the Royal Mint circa 1659, the Lord Baltimore series (which also includes shillings, sixpences, and a unique denarium/penny) represents the only colonial coinage authorized by a proprietary grant directly from the English Crown. The coins circulated in Maryland alongside Spanish, Dutch, and English pieces in the diverse monetary environment of the mid-seventeenth-century Chesapeake colonies.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Two varieties: Large Bust and Small Bust (unique). The Small Bust specimen is the only known example.

Cross References

Hodder 1-A/W-1010 (Large Bust), Hodder 2-B/W-1020 (Small Bust, unique), Breen 63-64