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1847
HAWAII KENETA (ONE CENT OR HAPA HANELE)
PCGS Nos: 10965, 10966, 10967
Mintage:
Circulation strikes: 100,000
Proofs: None
Designer: Edward Hulseman
Diameter: ±27 millimeters
Metal content:
Copper - 100%
Weight:
Edge: Plain
Mintmark: None (H.M. & E.I.
Richards of Attleboro, Massachusetts)
Varieties:
Plain and Crosslet 4
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Images courtesy of Heritage
Numismatic Auctions, Inc.
Notes:
The 1847 Hawaiian
Keneta (One Cent) was commissioned by King Kamehameha III, ruler of
the Hawaiian Islands, under a newly established monetary system. The Keneta was to be the equivalent of the
United States Large Cent; it was, in fact, minted privately in
America. The designer and engraver was Edward Hulseman, who is
perhaps better known for his 1837 Half Cent token. An obvious
error on Hulseman's part was to misspell the denomination as "Hapa
Haneri" instead of "Hapa Hanele". Although the
coin was a disappointment to the Hawaiians, the Keneta
remained legal tender until 1884 and circulated even later.
According to Breen, Wayte Raymond used to travel to Belmont,
Massachusetts in the 1950's to purchase Uncirculated examples from
the descendants of the original minters!
In the May 20, 1953
issue of The Numismatic Scrapbook, Melvin Came offered Hawaiian
Cents "from the hoard I discovered" at $3.50 for VF or
better examples and $5.00 for Sharp Uncs!
The finest examples graded by PCGS were four MS-65
Browns, one MS-65 Red & Brown, and four MS-64 Reds. The most
common Mint State grade appears to be MS-63, followed by MS-62, then
MS-64. Gems are very rare. Recent
appearances:
PCGS MS-64 Red (illustrated
above). Ex -
Heritage Numismatic Auctions, Inc. January 5-7, 2000 "FUN
2000" sale, Lot 8040
"About
Uncirculated." Ex - Stack's "65th Anniversary
Sale", October 17-19, 2000, Lot 1615, "Gould-Bressett 31,
Medcalf-Russell CC-2, Crosslet 4, Berries 7-8"
Sources and/or recommended
reading:
"Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia Of U.S. And Colonial
Coins" by Walter Breen
"Standard Catalog Of
World Coins, 19th Century, Second Edition 1801-1900" by Chester L.
Krause and Clifford Mishler
"The PCGS Population Report, January 2002" by The
Professional Coin Grading Service
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