1787 NY Excelsior - Eagle Right Arrows Left Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Struck in copper during 1787, the New York Excelsior "Eagle Right, Arrows Left" half penny is a rare variety within the Post-1776 States Coinage series, produced during the brief window when individual states authorized their own copper coinage under the Articles of Confederation. Weighing approximately 8 grams at 28 millimeters in diameter with a plain edge, this piece features the distinctive Excelsior motif — New York's Latin motto meaning "Ever Upward" — combined with an eagle design that faces right while clutching arrows in its left talon. The reverse arrangement of the eagle and arrows distinguishes this variety from other Excelsior coppers where the eagle faces left or holds the arrows differently, and the Whitman catalog assigns this variety the number 5762. New York never established an official state mint, and the Excelsior coppers are generally attributed to private manufacturers who produced them either speculatively or under informal arrangements with state authorities. The eagle-and-arrows motif connects these coppers to the broader tradition of American heraldic symbolism that would culminate in the Great Seal of the United States, while the Excelsior inscription anchored the pieces to New York's specific identity among the newly independent states. Classified as a rare variety, surviving specimens are genuinely difficult to locate, and most show the significant wear and corrosion typical of hand-struck copper coppers that saw actual circulation in the late 1780s. Grading focuses on the clarity of the eagle's feathers, the definition of the arrows, and the legibility of the Excelsior inscription. The piece represents an important artifact of the decentralized monetary system that existed before the Coinage Act of 1792 established the United States Mint and federal control over coinage production.

Rarity Notes

Rare variety.

Cross References

Whitman 5762