1787 NY 1/2P Excelsior - Eagle Left Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Part of the small but historically important Excelsior series of New York copper half pennies, this 1787 issue features an eagle facing left on one side and the New York state arms on the other, with the motto EXCELSIOR ("Ever Upward") — the state motto that remains in use today. The Excelsior coppers represent New York's brief venture into state-authorized coinage during the Confederation period, though the exact circumstances of their production remain debated among numismatic historians. Struck in copper at approximately 8 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge, the Eagle Left variety displays the heraldic eagle in leftward orientation, distinguishing it from the Eagle Right variant (a separate die combination). Cataloged as Whitman 5755 and classified as rare, the Eagle Left Excelsior is significantly harder to locate than its Eagle Right counterpart. New York coppers as a group are among the scarcest of all state copper series, with far fewer surviving specimens and known die varieties than the prolific Connecticut and New Jersey issues. The Excelsior design's adoption of the eagle and state motto reflects New York's political self-consciousness during the Confederation period, when the state positioned itself as a leading commercial and political center. The eagles on these coins anticipate the heraldic eagle that would appear on federal coinage beginning in 1794, making the Excelsior coppers an important design precedent in the transition from state to national coinage symbolism.

Rarity Notes

Rare.

Cross References

Whitman 5755