New Jersey Copper Coins

About This Coin

Authorized by the New Jersey legislature on June 1, 1786, the New Jersey copper coinage was produced under a franchise granted to Walter Mould, Thomas Goadsby, and Albion Cox, who operated minting facilities at Rahway, Morristown, and Elizabethtown. Struck in copper, 29 mm in diameter with a plain edge, these coins feature a horse head above a plow with NOVA CAESAREA (Latin for "New Jersey") on the obverse, and a heraldic shield with E PLURIBUS UNUM on the reverse — notably predating that motto's use on federal coinage. Over 140 documented die varieties are classified in the Maris reference system established by Dr. Edward Maris in 1881, creating a rich field for die variety specialists. New Jersey coppers circulated alongside Connecticut and Vermont coppers during the Confederation period. Their quality ranges from competently executed to crudely struck, documenting the varying skill levels of engravers and the sometimes hasty production methods employed by contractors.