1783 Nova Constellatio Blunt Rays - Small US Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Cataloged as Crosby 3-C and Whitman 1710, this 1783 Nova Constellatio copper half penny combines the blunt rays obverse with the Small US reverse lettering — one of several die pairings produced for this series of proposed national coinage. The obverse features an all-seeing eye of providence at center, surrounded by thirteen stars representing the original states and radiating rays that terminate in soft, rounded points rather than the sharply tapered endings found on the pointed rays type. The reverse displays a wreath encircling the denomination with the legend NOVA CONSTELLATIO ("New Constellation") and LIBERTAS JUSTITIA (Liberty and Justice). The Nova Constellatio coppers were produced by contract, likely in connection with Gouverneur Morris's 1783 proposal for a national coinage system based on a 1/1440 dollar unit — though this fractional system was ultimately rejected in favor of the decimal system proposed by Thomas Jefferson and adopted in the Mint Act of 1792. The Small US lettering on the reverse distinguishes this die from the Large US variant, with the letter size visible at a glance when comparing the two types. Struck in copper, the coin follows the halfpenny standard of the period. Classified as moderately scarce, the Crosby 3-C die combination is one of the more obtainable Nova Constellatio varieties. Sylvester S. Crosby's 1875 reference work "The Early Coins of America" established the die combination numbering system still used for this series, making it one of the oldest continuously used attribution references in American numismatics.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Crosby 3-C; Whitman 1710