(1670s) Saint Patrick New Jersey Farthing - Halo

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged in the Vlack reference under Halo varieties, with additional documentation by Martin (2018), and listed as Breen 209 and W-11510, this scarce variety of the St. Patrick Farthing is distinguished by a nimbus (halo) encircling the head of St. Patrick on the reverse — a devotional iconographic element that elevates the religious imagery beyond the standard unhallowed portrait. The halo variety is rated R.5 to R.6 depending on the specific die variety, indicating approximately 13 to 30 surviving examples across the known population. The obverse retains the standard design of King David playing a harp with a crown above, and the distinctive brass plug — a small disc of brass inserted into a hole punched through the copper flan — remains one of the most unusual technical features of any colonial American coinage. St. Patrick farthings and halfpence were likely produced in Dublin, Ireland, during the 1670s, and they found their primary circulation in colonial New Jersey after the legislature granted them legal tender status at a value of one halfpenny in 1682. The halo variety commands a significant premium over regular-issue St. Patrick farthings due to its scarcity and the visual distinctiveness of the nimbus detail. The Martin (2018) reference provides the most current scholarly analysis of St. Patrick coinage die varieties, building upon the earlier Vlack classification system that organized these pieces by their diagnostic design features.

Rarity Notes

Scarce variety. The nimbus (halo) around St. Patrick's head distinguishes this from the regular issue. R.5 to R.6 depending on die variety.

Cross References

Vlack (Halo varieties), Martin (2018), Breen 209, W-11510