Images(2)

Engraved Coin

Date1788

OriginAmerica or England

MediumCopper

DimensionsDiameter: 27 mm

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number2014-22

DescriptionCopper halfpenny-sized coin engraved with a man shooting a fowler on the obverse snd and “SB Born 10 April 1788” on the reverse.

Label TextCommon coins often became a canvas for the engraver's art during the 18th century. Most likely starting out as an ordinary halfpenny, this copper piece was smoothed on both sides, removing all traces of the host coin's design. The reverse inscription commemorates the April 10, 1788 birth of a child whose initials were "SB," but the obverse bears a more enigmatic image. Just why the owner of this charming little novelty chose the image of a hunter, discharging his longarm from the waist, will never be known.