Continental Currency

About This Coin

The Continental Currency dollar of 1776 stands as one of the most iconic and historically resonant pieces in all of American numismatics, representing the Continental Congress's bold attempt to establish a tangible metallic currency during the opening year of the Revolutionary War. The design, commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin though possibly executed by Elisha Gallaudet based on the "EG FECIT" maker's mark found on certain die varieties, features the celebrated sundial obverse with FUGIO ("I fly") and MIND YOUR BUSINESS beneath a radiant sun, while the reverse displays interlocking rings representing the thirteen colonies surrounding AMERICAN CONGRESS and WE ARE ONE. Struck primarily in pewter because silver and gold were desperately needed to fund the war effort, with extremely rare examples known in silver and brass, the Continental Currency dollar was produced in multiple die varieties classified in the Newman catalog system by obverse and reverse die combinations and spelling variants (CURRENCY, CURRENCEY, and CURENCY). The piece occupies a unique position in American numismatics as a tangible artifact of the nation's fight for independence, struck during the year independence was declared, bearing mottoes that expressed both the urgency of the revolutionary moment and the practical economic philosophy that would guide the new nation's approach to commerce and self-governance. Rare across all varieties, Continental Currency dollars are foundational pieces for any collection of early American coinage.