1783 Chalmers Shilling - Short Worm

Coin Details

Description

Scarcer than its Large Worm counterpart, this 1783 Chalmers Shilling variety is identified by the shorter, less prominent worm visible between the two fighting birds on the reverse. The distinction between the Short Worm and Large Worm varieties lies in the die engraver's treatment of this central design element — whether the difference represents two separate dies cut at different times or a progressive modification to a single die remains an open question in the literature. Cataloged as Whitman 1410 and Breen 1001, the Short Worm shilling was issued by John Chalmers of Annapolis, Maryland, a goldsmith who produced silver threepence, sixpence, and shillings during the post-Revolutionary monetary crisis of 1783 when reliable small-denomination silver was desperately needed for everyday commerce. The obverse features a portrait bust, and the reverse's imagery of birds quarreling over a worm creates one of the most distinctive and memorable designs in all of American colonial coinage. Chalmers's silver issues were struck on planchets of approximately standard British weight, and the coins circulated alongside a bewildering mix of foreign silver, state coppers, and Continental paper money of rapidly diminishing value. Both Worm varieties are collectible cornerstones of the Post-1776 Private and Regional Issues (1778-1820) series, and the subtle die differences between them reward the careful examination that defines colonial copper and silver specialization.

Rarity Notes

Scarce. Slightly rarer than the Large Worm.

Cross References

Whitman 1410; Breen 1001