The Washington Small Eagle Cent

[MikeKing]

I'm just going to post this rather than reallly work on it, because there's so much more I've got to figure out re the designs and the people involved.

 

I posted this coin in the new acquisitions thread, but am going to re-post it here with a little bit more history that I've been able to come up with (there is so much more, such as the artists involved with other coinage and with the Great Seal of the United States and how it came about, but that's for another post, and maybe some here could contribute on this subject).

 

I got this coin from Dave Wnuck.

 

 

Two different Washington Eagle cents were designed by Gregory

Hancock under the commision of W. and Alexander Walker of

Birmingham England, and the coins were made at the mint of Obadiah

Westwood in Birmingham.

 

There is a large eagle and small eagle variety. In the large eagle

variety, the wings go downwards and the date in on the obverse. In

the small eagle variety, the wings point upwards and the date is on

the reverse.

 

This is the small eagle variety.

 

A cask of these coins (both large and small Eagle) were sent to

Thomas Ketland and Son, in Philadelphia who supposedly distributed

them to officials with the hopes of gaining a coining contract with

the U.S.

Apparently there were 2,500 of the large

Eagle variety and 1,500 of the small Eagle variety, and ultimately

they were put into circulation.

 

The small Eagle variety weighs apx 190 grains (12.35 grams) with a

diameter of 30 mm.

 

Initially I thought there was no edge lettering and wrote such in a

prior post, but I stand corrected. The edge lettering reads:

 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA . X .

 

Photos of the edge at the University of Notre Dame's Web Site

 

Breen refers to Hancock as a juvenile engraving prodigy and one of

the finest artists in the history of 18th century British

diemaking. I think that should be quite evident when you look at

this wonderful coin.

 

Breen also points out that the portrait punch was derived from an

egraved copy of Pierre Eugene DuSimitiere's drawing.

I tried searching the internet for this portrait, but could only find other portraits of Americans that he made, just none of Washington, so if anyone can find it, please let me know. By the way, du Simitiere suggested adoption of the US motto E pluribus unum.

 

 

Additionally, I came accross photos of a LIFE MASK done of George Washington, so if anyone wonders what he REALLY looked like, this was done when he was 53 yr old.

 

[bsshog40]

Nice info there Mike. Looks like most of the portraits of washington on our coins and currency is pretty close, except for the small dip at the end of his nose! Thanks for sharing Mike!!

[Zoins]

Great post Mike! That is a beautiful coin

 

A few questions:

• Is this the first coin in the US where the eagle has the "clouds" above its head? If those are not clouds, what are they?
• Is this the first coin in the US with an eagle holding a branch in one claw and arrows in another?
• Do we know George Washington's response to this? Did he disapprove of his image being used on a coin?

Thanks

[rbrown4]

Very interesting coin and historical facts. Thanks for the post.

 

 

Rey

[jesbroken]

Thanks Mike. Your posts are so informative-I have never looked at this cent more than to know it exists. Great story and beautiful coin.

[Hoot]

An utterly superb coin and superlative information! Was it this piece that Washington saw that prompted him to remark that coinage with a sitting President smacked of monarchy?

 

Just a beautiful piece.

 

Hoot

[DirtyGoldMan]

Excellent post! Had you not purchased that coin, I was right behind you. I think it is a historic and underrated/underappreciated issue.

 

Thanks also for the historical note.

 

RYK

[Conder101]

Is this the first coin in the US where the eagle has the "clouds" above its head? If those are not clouds, what are they?

 

I believe so.

 

Is this the first coin in the US with an eagle holding a branch in one claw and arrows in another?

 

No, try the Massachusets half cent and cent of 1787.

 

Do we know George Washington's response to this? Did he disapprove of his image being used on a coin?

 

Washington was on record as being against his portrait on the coinage. I can't say if it was this piece that got his to state that opinion, but it could be a possibility. It is about the only piece available in the correct time frame. (Most of the earlier dated pieces were actually struck much later than the dates on them.) Although I was under the impression that he was reacting to proposed written legislation that called for the portrait of the President on the coinage.

 

There is a little trouble attributing the design to Gregory Hancock. There were (supposedly) TWO Gregory Hancock's Sr and Jr. Sr was a talented die engraver. Jr was supposed to be the child prodigy doing superb die engravings at the age of 6 or 7. The problem is that after a few tokens and medals produced, this child prodigy disappears and is never heard from again. There is also no record of him in the city censuses either before or after his disappearance. there is some speculation hat Jr never existed and was a creation of Sr in order to win more commissions. People would want a medal or token engraved for them by the child prodigy. Some think Sr would agree "on his sons behalf" to the work, and then do the engraving himself. When he presented te work, created by a man of many years experience, as the work of a seven year old, the patrons would be very impressed with the boys amazing skill and ell others about it. Thus resulting in more work.

 

Of course it is possible the Jr did exist and was simply missed in the earlier censuses and then died at a very young age which was not uncommon at the time.

[Zoins]

Thanks for the information Conder, esp the info on Gregory Hancock.

 

I just looked up the 1987 Massachusetts Cent on coinfacts.com. Interesting issue with lots of varieties.

[MikeKing]

Thanks Conder for your input.

 

Looking through Breen, I couldn't find any coin earlier that had the clouds between the Eagle's wings.

 

Apparently the Eagle with the Olive Branch and the Arrows in the claws, along with the shield and the clouds above it, were used for The Great Seal Oo The United States of America (from the National Archives dated 1782), surrounding thirteen stars with rays emanating from them.

 

 

 

Continental Congress – June 20, 1782 established in writing, The Blazon of the Great Seal of the United States, apparently with a design Charles Thomson submitted Blazon .

 

Thumbing through Breen I can see what he refers to as Scot's Heraldic Eagle design copied from the great Seal of the U.S. 1782. And you can find the clouds in the half dimes of 1800-1805, the dismes from 1798-1807, the quarter dollars from 1804, half dollars 1801-1807, dollars from 1798-1803 and Knease's 1804 dollars.

 

On gold it's found on Scot's quarter eagles 1796, then with stars added to the clouds in 1796-1807, half eagles bacdated to 1795, from 1798-1807, eagles 1797-1804.

 

So it may be possible that the Washington Small or Large Eagle were the first to bear the clouds (1791) but I'm not studied enough to be sure.

 

Additionally, The Great Seal of the U.S. was derived, I believe from the input of many different people with multiple Masonic concepts incorporated into the design.

[123cents]

Beautiful coin and great information. Thanks Mike and Conder.

[MikeKing]

An utterly superb coin and superlative information! Was it this piece that Washington saw that prompted him to remark that coinage with a sitting President smacked of monarchy?

 

Just a beautiful piece.

 

Hoot

 

thanks Mark, that's a real compliment coming from you.

 

Like Conder said, how can you be sure this was the one. Breen seems to suggest Washington saw these and both rejected the idea of a monarchial type portrait and didn't like the idea of outsourcing our coinage, wanting to have our own Mint.

 

This is indeed the most fascinating design I've ever seen on coinage because

a) the portrait comes from an engraving done by an artist born in Switzerland who came to America and engraved portraits of many famous Americans at that time

b) the use of the Eagle with the olive branch, arrows and clouds which you see in both the Great Seal and other U.S. coinage. There's a lot to figure out here, isn't there!

[TomB]

It is a spectacular piece that is beautifully imaged and presented with great information.

[MikeKing]

It is a spectacular piece that is beautifully imaged and presented with great information.

 

You mean there's a coin of mine that you actually like?

[TomB]

I like many of your coins! What did I do?

[michael]

An utterly superb coin and superlative information!

 

also the condition and originality of the coin is simply AMAZING

 

never cleaned or screwed with and no corrosion or verdgris

 

this coin is FANTASTIC

 

a beautiful rare histroical coin

 

a truly value opportunity coin

 

[MikeKing]

I like many of your coins! What did I do?

 

why you haven't sold me the perfect 1815/2 yet Tom.

[Bruceswar]

Sweet coin Mike. I think Tom happens to like a few of mine as well