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of everyone interested in the history and development of early America. Yet, despite their enormous historical importance, forming a basic collection of such items is not nearly as daunting as one might expect.

      The coins and tokens described in the next three sections of this book are fundamentally a major-type listing of the metallic money used throughout the pre-federal period. Many collectors use this as a guide to forming a basic set of these pieces. It is not encyclopedic in its scope. Beyond the basic types are numerous sub-varieties of some of the issues, and a wider range of European coins. Some collectors aim for the finest possible condition, while others find great enjoyment in pieces that saw actual circulation and use during the formative days of the country. There are no rules about how or what to collect other than to enjoy owning a genuine piece of early American history.

       Spanish-American Coinage of the New World

      Values shown for these silver coins are for the most common dates and mintmarked pieces of each issue. Similar pieces were struck at Spanish-American mints in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Santo Domingo.

       Cob Coinage – King Philip II (1556–1598) to King Charles III (1760–1772)

       1 real cob of Mexico from the reign of Philip III

       1668 2 reales cob struck in Potosi, from the reign of Charles II

      Values are for coins with partial or missing dates. Fully dated coins are valued much higher. Some cobs were also issued beyond these dates and until as late as 1773 in Bolivia.

       Pillar Type – King Philip V (1732–1747), King Ferdinand VI (1747–1760), and King Charles III (1760–1772)

       1739 4 reales, Pillar type, from the reign of Philip V

       1761 2 reales “pistareen” from the reign of Charles III

       Bust Type – King Charles III (1772–1789), King Charles IV (1789–1808), and King Ferdinand VII (1808–1825)

       1807 8 reales Bust dollar from the reign of Charles IV

      The New World began its first coinage in 1536 in Mexico City. By 1732 the first round coins were made and the columnario, or Pillar coinage, became the coin of trade internationally. In 1772 the Bust dollars with the effigy of the king of Spain were placed in circulation. These coins and the Republican style of later Latin American countries circulated legally in the United States until 1857.

      Parallel issues of Spanish-American gold coins were made during this period. They saw extensive use for international trade and somewhat lesser use in domestic transactions in America. The Spanish silver pistareen was also a popular and convenient coin in circulation.

       Typical World Coinage Used in Colonial America

       Netherlands Silver Coinage, 1601–1693

       1616 Leeuwendaalder

       French Silver Coinage of King Louis XV (1715–1774) and King Louis XVI (1774–1792)

       1791 écu from the reign of Louis XVI

      See additional listings of silver, billon, and copper French coins authorized for use in North America on pages 53–55.

       British Silver Coinage of King Charles I (1625–1649) to King George III (1760–1820)

       1639 6 pence from the reign of Charles I

       1787 Shilling from the reign of George III

      English copper coins and their imitations circulated extensively in early America and are described on pages 69–71.

      Other items frequently used as money in early America included cut fractions of various silver coins. These were cut by private individuals. The quarter 8-reales coin was “two bits.” Worn and cut portions of coins usually passed for change according to their weight.

       BRITISH NEW WORLD ISSUES

       Sommer Islands (Bermuda)

      This coinage, the first struck for the English colonies in the New World, was issued circa 1616. The coins were known as Hogge Money or Hoggies.

      The pieces were made of brass or copper, lightly silvered, in four denominations: shilling, sixpence, threepence, and twopence, each indicated by Roman numerals. The hog is the main device and appears on the obverse side of each. SOMMER ISLANDS is inscribed within beaded circles on the larger denominations. The reverse shows a full-rigged galleon with the flag of St. George on each of four masts. Many examples of these coins show signs of oxidation and pitting.

      The islands were named for Sir George Sommers, who was shipwrecked there in 1609 while en route to the Virginia plantations. Shakespeare’s Tempest was possibly based on this incident.

      The Bermuda Islands, as they are known today, were named for Juan de Bermúdez, who is believed

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