William Wood Begins to Strike Coinage

THE POST-BOY. London, from Thursday January 17 to Saturday January 19, 1722 (1723). Numb. 5226. Printed for T. Payne near Stationers-Hall. Thin folio sheet [36 by 21.5 cm] printed on both sides. Halfpenny tax stamp on verso. Neatly removed from bound volume; very good. A very important contemporary account of the William Wood coinage. The article writes that “William Wood, Esq; who hath a Patent for 14 Years for coining Farthings and Half-Pence for Ireland, also Half-Pence, Pence and Two-Pences for his Majesty’s Plantations in America, began his Coinage for Ireland on Monday last, at a building erected for that purpose in Phoenix-street near the Seven Dials... In about a Month’s time he will begin to coin at Bristol the aforemention’d Pieces for America...” The article discusses the metallic composition of each and their respective designs. Syd Martin reproduced this article on page 472 of his The Hibernia Coinage of William Wood (1722–1724), where it is the earliest contemporary account of the coinage given in his Appendix E; he also reproduced the article on page 473 of his The Rosa Americana Coinage of William Wood, where he corrects some of the information included in it. Ex Charles Davis’s sale of October 17, 2009, lot 488.