The coins of British America were issued between the 17th and 18th centuries in the English and later British colonies of North America, the Caribbean, and surrounding territories. These coins circulated from the early colonial period until the American Revolution (1775–1783) and are highly sought after by collectors of British Empire and Commonwealth coinage.
Overview
The coinage of British America was characterized by a chronic shortage of official British currency in the colonies. As a result, a wide variety of foreign coins—particularly Spanish silver reales (pieces of eight), Portuguese gold, and Dutch trade coins—circulated alongside limited locally minted issues. The colonies also relied on commodity money such as tobacco, beaver skins, and wampum.
Major Coinage Issues
1652 Coinage (Massachusetts Bay Colony)
The first coins minted in British America were produced in Boston, Massachusetts, shortly after the colonial mint opened in 1652. The most notable of these was the silver threepence, which bears a simple "NE" stamp on one side (signifying New England) and Roman numerals denoting its value on the other. These coins are among the earliest examples of coinage struck on the North American continent. In 2025, one such coin sold at auction for $2.52 million.
1688 Coinage
A coin was issued depicting King James II of England on horseback on the obverse (front), with crowned shields on the reverse (back). This issue was produced during a brief period before James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
William Wood's Coinage (1722–1724) — Rosa Americana
This series, also known as the Rosa Americana (Latin for "American Rose") coinage, was produced under a royal patent granted to William Wood, an English ironmaster. The coins feature:
- Obverse: A laureated portrait of King George I of Great Britain facing right.
- Reverse: A rose motif — a plain rose on the Halfpenny and Penny, and a crowned rose on the Twopence. A variant Penny dated 1723 also exists with a crowned rose.
These coins were intended for circulation in the American colonies and the British West Indies.
Other Colonial Coinages
Beyond the major issues above, several colonies produced or authorized their own coinages and token currencies, including:
- Coins of the Colony of Massachusetts (including the famous "Pine Tree" shillings)
- Coins of the Colony of Maryland (issued by Lord Baltimore)
- Coins of the Colony of Virginia (the first official British colonial coinage, dated 1773 but issued in 1775)
- Trader's Currency Tokens of various colonies, including Connecticut and Carolina
The First U.S. Coins
Following independence, the first official coinage of the United States was produced in 1792, minted in copper, silver, and gold. These early U.S. coins marked the transition from British colonial currency to a national American monetary system.
Legacy
Coins of British America are extremely rare and highly valued by numismatists. They represent the earliest European-style monetary systems in what would become the United States and Canada, reflecting the economic history of the colonial period, the mercantile policies of the British Empire, and the gradual move toward American independence.
