Simeon Coley spent the majority of his career as a goldsmith in London, where he entered his first mark, SC, in 1761 and another version of this mark in 1763. Based on his newspaper advertisements, it appears that Coley only spent three years in New York, and pieces bearing his American mark, S. Coley, are consequently rare. His first New York advertisement was dated September 11, 1766, and his last, announcing his intention "to leave this City this Month," was dated September 4, 1769. His leaving New York was probably a result of being on the wrong side of pre-Revolutionary politics. A newspaper article of July 24, 1769 reported Coley's "daring Infractions of the Non-importation Agreement; his insolent and futile Defence of those inglorious Measures; with his avowed Resolution obstinately to persevere in counteracting the legal Efforts of a brave and free People in support of their inestimable Rights." Coley's advertisements before this date did indeed include a great deal of English imports, mostly jewelry and small specialty items such as "etwe" (etuis). While it is thought that he spent some time in Jamaica after leaving New York, Coley had returned to London at least by 1773, when he became free of the Glovers' Company. From 1773 to 1780, Coley entered four SC marks in the Bucklemakers' Registers at Goldsmiths' Hall. Since Coley only registered in London as either a smallworker or a bucklemaker, it seems that Coley made no large holloware in England, and indeed no example is known. Coley's daughter, Hannah, married silversmith Thomas Northcote, and after her husband's death became a prolific maker of largework in London. (See Arthur Grimwade, London Goldsmiths 1697-1837, 1976, and Rita Susswein Gottesman, The Arts and Crafts in New York 1726-1776: Advertisements and News Items from New York City Newspapers, 1938).