(1659) Lord Baltimore Maryland Penny

Coin Details

Auction Record

$199,750 • MS62 BN • 01-12-2015 • Heritage Auctions

Description

With only 7 to 9 specimens known, rated High R.7 on the Sheldon rarity scale, the Lord Baltimore Penny (or Denarium) is the rarest denomination in the Maryland colonial coinage series authorized by Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore and Proprietor of Maryland. Cataloged as Hodder 1-A, Whitman W-1000, Breen 62, and KM#1, this copper pattern was intended as the lowest denomination in a four-coin series that included the silver fourpence, sixpence, and shilling. Unlike the three silver denominations, which share the Baltimore family coat of arms on the reverse, the Penny features a unique reverse design depicting two flags rising from a crown — a heraldic composition not repeated on any other denomination in the series. The obverse bears the portrait of Cecil Calvert facing left, matching the design used on the silver pieces. Struck in copper rather than silver, the Penny may have been produced as a pattern or trial piece and possibly never circulated in any meaningful quantity within the colony. The Maryland coinage was struck in London, likely by the Royal Mint or a private contractor, around 1659, making it one of the earliest colonial American coin series. Its extreme rarity — fewer than ten surviving examples across all known collections — places it among the most coveted pieces in colonial American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Only 7-9 specimens known. High R.7. Extremely rare copper pattern denomination.

Cross References

Hodder 1-A, Whitman W-1000, Breen 62, KM#1