This weathered copper coin is a Hibernia halfpenny that was originally made in Ireland in 1723 for the purpose of currency. The excavation of the coin on Huguenot St in New Paltz, New York illustrates a migration of currency as well as people.

Description: The Hibernia halfpenny is about the size of a modern day quarter. On one side, the profile of King George I is pictured. The profile has long curly hair tied behind the ears. Around the circumference of the coin, it says Georgius Dei Gratia Rex. Translated from the Latin this means by the grace of King George. On the other side of the coin, it says Hibernia 1723 around the circumference. In the center, there is a woman pictured in a dress holding up a palm branch with her right hand and leaning against a harp with her left arm. Her face is also depicted in a profile. After almost 300 years of existence, the coin has been weathered and eroded. It is hard to make out these details because of the overt oxidation the coin has experienced over time creating the green substance on its surface.

Provenance: The original owner of the coin will forever be unknown for it was used as an object of exchange passing from person to person for different goods. In Ireland, the Hibernia coppers were made for use in small transactions at the local market or tavern such as for a loaf of bread that cost a penny (Danforth). The coin may have traveled from the pockets of middle class Irish citizens through the pockets of transatlantic seamen or through the pockets of Irish immigrants into the hands of The Huguenots in the Middle Colony of New York (Danforth). The coin now rests in its habitus amongst many other excavated, historical objects in Professor Diamond’s archives. It was discovered on July 20, 2012 at approximately N 50m / E 18m on Huguenot St in the ground that resides between the Bevier and Deyo houses across the street from the Dubois Fort.

Narrative: Although we may never know the coin’s owner, we do know its maker. William Wood owned copper and tin mines in Ireland. He purchased the royal patent that authorized him to produce up to 360 tons of halfpence and farthings for Ireland at 30 pence to the pound over a period of fourteen years for an annual fee of £800 paid to King George I (Hibernia). Wood believed this would be a profitable business and purchased the patent for £10,000 in 1722 from the king’s mistress, The Duchess of Kendal (Hibernia). At the time, Wood’s coinage was heavier than the coppers already in circulation in Ireland making his money more valuable (Hibernia). As a result of their weight and the cost of production, Wood’s Hibernia coppers were actually less profitable for him to mint (Hibernia). It is believed that he even would have lost money over those fourteen years from the deal (Hibernia).

Amongst numismatists, there seems to be a disagreement about the degree of reception the Wood’s Hibernia coppers received. According to Brian J. Danforth’s article in The Colonial Newsletter, “Wood’s Hibernia Coins Come to America”, the coins were first well received but lost popularity over time in Ireland. Danforth explains that the lower class of Ireland, who were largely illiterate and rarely made records, were the primary users of the copper coins. Since the primary users of the coins did not make records, numismatists do not accurately know the exact extent of usage that these coins received. However, Danforth believes the coins became very popular in Ireland because as he describes Ireland was a “coin starved” nation. Danforth also states that American colonies did not have a sufficient amount of coinage to satisfy their economic needs in the eighteenth century either. Furthermore, England did not even have enough coinage to satisfy its own needs resulting in this shortage of coinage in its distant lands (Danforth). It is in this apparent massive deficiency that Wood’s believed he had the potential for a successful business endeavor.

Because of Ireland’s desperate need for coins, the popularity of the coppers was almost inevitable. In the mid 1720’s some numismatists believe Wood’s coins were rejected, but Danforth believes the coins were used commonly in Ireland until 1737. Jonathan Swift led the campaign against Wood’s coppers that successfully leaves evidence of opposition to the coins for numismatists today (Danforth). According to Philip Nelson’s The Coinage of William Wood, 1722-1733, Swift and his allies opposed Wood’s coinage because the coins were not approved by the Irish Parliament, were minted under a private patent, and weighed more than the English royal issue (qtd. in Danforth). Wood’s original estimate on the amount of coppers to mint was also so large that the opposition believed they would hurt the Irish economy drastically (qtd. in Danforth). However, Danforth notes the rise in copper coins by 150 percent in 1728 illustrates the success of Wood’s coins with them actually becoming the dominant coinage in Ireland despite Swift’s oppositional forces.

The American Colonies similarly needed coinage for small transactions. In the Northern Colonies, this need was most prevalent because of the demands of urban centers, artisans, and commerce (Danforth). Danforth writes that Wood’s coppers came to America as a result of trade between the colonies and Ireland, immigrants from Ireland traveling to the colonies, and the eventual devaluation of the coins in Ireland. Before the American Revolution, Ireland traded more with the Middle Colonies than the rest of the colonies (Danforth). Wood’s money would have crossed the Atlantic in the pockets of seamen and would have been used in Irish seaports for everyday purchases (Danforth). The coins also became twice as valuable in the colonies as they were in Ireland allowing for some to take advantage of the exchange rate for profit (Danforth). In 1737, New York had what Danforth describes as a surplus of copper coins because of its growing economy and the devaluation of Hibernia Coppers in Ireland. New York also had the most favorable exchange rate of coppers amongst the other colonies (Danforth). Danforth describes how these factors contributed to New York becoming the foremost trade partner with Ireland.

During economically hard times, an increase in immigration to the colonies occurred bringing with them the cultures and customs of their homes (Danforth). An Irish famine in the late 1720’s spurred emigration from Ireland with people looking for employment in America (Danforth). Another massive surge of immigration in the mid 1730’s around the time of the monetary decline of Wood’s coins in Ireland also increased the export of the coins to America (Danforth). When leaving their homes, the Irish took as many coins as they could. Danforth notes they would have chosen to carry with them the coins with the highest amount of value that took up the least amount of space making coppers the best choice for poor immigrants. In 1729, the supply of copper coins in Ireland decreased. Although the attitude towards Irish immigrants in New England was often unwelcoming, Irish settlements and communities were still able to make roots in America (Danforth). Poor Irish immigrants were usually from rural areas and settled in the Middle Colonies with all their possessions from home including whatever money they could put in their pockets such as Wood’s coins (Danforth).

In 1736, it was announced that a new royal copper would be made in England and sent to Ireland securing the devaluation of Wood’s coins (Danforth). As a result, Wood’s coins were shipped “en masse” to the American colonies (Danforth). Irish leaders such as Swift and his advocates who had been against Wood’s coins from the beginning finally succeeded in receiving an official set of copper coins from the London mint (Danforth). Danforth also mentions regulations that were placed on the acceptance of Wood’s coins in Ireland limiting their use and decreasing their popularity significantly. The ideal shipping destination for the coins were the Middle Colonies because of their significant trade with Ireland, their Irish immigrant populations familiar with the coinage, and their growing economy in need of coins for daily exchanges (Danforth). As a result of all these factors, this Hibernia halfpenny landed in New Paltz amongst the Huguenots.

Bibliography

Danforth, Brian J. “Wood’s Hibernia Coins Come to America.” The Colonial Newsletter. Aug 2001. Web. 14 Apr 2015.

Diamond, Dr. Joseph. Personal Interview. 8 Apr 2015.

“Hibernia Coppers 1722- 1724: Introduction.” Coin and Currency Collections at the University of Notre Dame Department of Special Collections. 4 Jan 2001. Web. 14 Apr 2015

Rubino, Catherine. Image 1. 1 Apr 2015

“US Woods Hibernia Half Penny 1722 to 1724.” Coin Quest. Image 2. Web. 14 Apr 2015.

Rubino, Catherine. Image 3. 8 Apr 2015.