The Brandywine Collection

Set Description
The first new quarter design in 24 years was released in 1999: The Delaware State Quarter. The Representative who introduced the legislation was Delaware Rep. Mike Castle. For many people, it was the first Delaware coin they'd encountered. And for others, it may be the only one they know.

But it was not the first coin designed with a Delaware connection. In fact, there were four coins before it. And three more afterward. This collection contains a mix of American, Swedish, and Australian coins, some common and others less common, and some unique surprises. It is meant as a love letter to a state I called home for much of my life.

A (Very) Brief History of Delaware

In an attempt to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic, Henry Hudson sailed into a bay north of the Chesapeake in 1609. Shortly afterward, in 1610, that bay and the river that feeds it were named in honor of the governor of the British colony Virginia Thomas West, the 3rd Baron De La Warr. Delaware gets its name from those bodies of water on its shores.

In March 1638 two Swedish ships, the Kalmar Nyckel and Fogle Grip, entered the Delaware River and anchored on the shores of present-day Wilmington, Delaware. They built Fort Christina on the banks of the Christina River, both named for Sweden’s Queen Christina, and established a settlement that became the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley. The settlement was taken by the Dutch in 1644, then again by the English in 1664. The colony was considered a part of New York until 1682 when the land was granted to William Penn and it became part of Pennsylvania. Though Penn wanted to make Pennsylvania a predominantly Quaker colony, the more diverse lower counties that makeup Delaware resisted and sought more autonomy. In 1704, a separate Assembly governed the Lower Counties of Delaware.

Delaware remained a part of Pennsylvania until June 15th, 1776, when the colony declared independence from both Pennsylvania AND the British Crown. This enabled Delaware to become one of the 13 colonies to sign the Declaration of Independence two weeks later on July 4th. But that vote was deadlocked between the two other Delaware delegates. So on July 1, the 3rd delegate, Caesar Rodney, rode his horse overnight to cast the deciding vote for independence. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the newly created Constitution of the United States.

The Brandywine Collection is named for the Brandywine Creek, a tributary of the Christina River. It powered many early industrial activities and is where DuPont put its first gunpowder mills.

Set Goals
Share coins that celebrate Delaware and inspire others to create sets with a mix of modern and rare coins. This is a collection in progress.