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4 Pence - Lord Baltimore "Groat, small bust"
| Issuer | Maryland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1659 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Pence (1⁄60) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | CÆCILVS:DNS:TERRÆ-MARIÆ:&C• |
| Reverse description | The Calvert family coat of arms displayed on a small shield at center, comprising the characteristic quarterly design of alternating paly and bendy lozengy fields, surmounted by a baronial crown. The shield is set within a circular Latin legend reading CRESCITE ET MVLTIPLICAMINI, a biblical motto meaning 'Be fruitful and multiply.' The Roman numeral IV, denoting the denomination of four pence, appears flanking the shield in the field to either side. The reverse exhibits a milled or toothed border around the coin's periphery. |
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| Additional information |
Cecil Calvert, second Lord Baltimore, commissioned this coinage in England around 1659 — one of the very few proprietary colonial issues ever authorized for an American colony. The coins were struck in London, almost certainly at the Tower Mint, funded privately by the Baltimore family rather than by any crown authority. Maryland had no mint of its own, and the chronic shortage of small change in the colony made some form of metallic currency genuinely urgent.
The "small bust" designation distinguishes this die variety from the larger bust version of the same denomination — a distinction that matters considerably to specialists working the series. Surviving examples in any grade are scarce; the total known population across all four Baltimore denominations remains modest, and the groat sees the tightest supply of the group.