From the late Anglo-Saxon period on, British coins have almost always featured a monarch’s portrait. Starting in 973 with Eadgar (959-975) and continuing through to Elizabeth II, a ruler’s image generally graced the obverse of the lowest to highest denomination. In the late eighteenth century, diminishing copper supplies caused an acute shortage of farthing, halfpenny and penny denominations. After 1775, there were no copper coins being issued for the general public, and small change was in great demand.

On March 2nd 1768, a tremendous body of copper ore was discovered in the Trysclwyn Mountain, in Anglesey, Wales. Taken over by the Parys Mining Company, hundreds of tons were eventually mined, many struck commercially for much-needed small change. From 1787 to 1797, these tradesmen’s tokens were often accepted throughout the British Empire, coined into the three denominations previously mentioned. Some were issued as collectibles rather than currency, either lacking a denomination, or having a denomination just for show. It was commonplace for issuers of non-commercial tokens to show scenes and buildings from all over Great Britain in order to establish a wider collector base. But many others were issued for purely commercial reasons, and used as an advertising medium to draw more business. Still others were “counterfeits”, but generally accepted in commerce if the copper was of good weight and quality. The sizes and weights of these private issues varied, but an approximate size and weight can be determined by using the strict measurements of the British Mint coinage at the end of the eighteenth century. A farthing (from the Anglo-Saxon feurthing, or ¼) was 23.50mm in diameter and weighed 6.30 grams. A halfpenny was 30.50mm and weighed 12.60 grams, while the penny measured 35.80mm across, weighing 28.35 grams. Since different manufacturers were involved, the quality of these pieces varied from poor (inferior die-cutting and/or striking) to superb.

Some of the copper pieces had U.S. motifs and found their way onto American shores. They either entered circulation, or were saved by early collectors. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were popular figures on these British pieces, and our Kentucky Cents were struck in England around 1792-1794. But these American pieces represent a fraction of the extraordinary variety of privately issued tradesmen’s tokens which were struck and used in England. Regardless of their intent, many of these British Trade Tokens offer a glimpse into the life and times of a country that otherwise could not be captured on coins.

Stratford issued a William Shakespeare halfpenny in 1790, the Bard of Avon facing to the left with the figure of Britannia on the reverse, also facing left. On another variety, the reverse features a harp within the legend North Wales. Yet another, more amateurish variety shows the great author with W. Shake on the left side of his profile and speare on the right. Isaac Newton is shown on both farthing and halfpenny. The physicist and Mint director is profiled left on both denominations that were issued in 1793. The reverses are identical, having a caduceus, olive branch, and cornucopia with date and denominations. But, on other farthing varieties, the devices were changed to a Prince of Wales’ plume and Britannia.

Lady Godiva is represented on Coventry halfpennies from 1792 through 1795. This popular legend dates to just after the founding of Coventry in 1043. Lady Godiva was the wife of a wealthy land owner, Leofric, the Earl of Mercia. Her husband imposed a steep land tax on his tenants. Protesting his mistreatment of the people, Lady Godiva rode naked on horseback through the town’s streets. As a show of support, none of the town’s people was to look at her. But one person, named Tom, watched her from behind a building. This gave rise to the expression, “Peeping Tom”. There are several different reverses of the Godiva tokens, though the obverse always shows her riding naked on horseback with long, flowing hair covering much of her body. The reverses include an elephant, a castle, a cross atop a monument and a coat-of-arms.

George Frederick Handel was a celebrated English composer and a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach. He is portrayed on the reverse of a 1797 Norwich, Norfolk halfpenny token. Though German-born, he moved to London in 1727 and achieved great fame writing music for the coronation of King George II, plus other works. The composer’s bust faces left, while the obverse has a full view of Norwich Cathedral. Another token featuring Handel has his portrait on the obverse, within I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, a vocal piece by the composer. On the reverse is the date 1791, and Benevolent Coral Fund Issued For Its Decay’d Widows and Orphans.

In addition to world-famous figures, many trade pieces have popular figures of that time, which may seem a little tasteless by today’s standards. Sideshows and circuses were big attractions back then, and were attracting the paying public. One 1795 token showed a deformed dwarf on the obverse with To Be Had At The Curiosity House City Road Near Finsbury Square London on the reverse. Another, even more tasteless, portrayed a standing woman with the outer legend reading Mrs. Newsham The White Negress. , is a token showing The Kanguroo (their spelling) The Armadillo The Rhinoceros.

Not all exhibitions were low-brow. Many appealed to the curious at a time when wild animals were only known by drawings and word-of-mouth. One such company was Pidcock’s Exhibition, located in London at the Exeter Exchange on The Strand. Pidcock’s was a family-owned menagerie that was eventually sold in 1810, and renamed the Royal Menagerie. Tokens featured lions, both rampant and prone, a zebra, a kangaroo with baby in its pouch, a toucan sitting on a branch, a tiger, rhinoceros, and many different birds. Also pictured on one of their tokens is a two-headed cow. Most tokens are dated 1795, 1796, and 1797, having animals pictured on both sides.

For the herpetologist, an undated and scarce token from Middlesex County features a crocodile on its obverse. The reptile is on a small island, ready to plunge into the water. Two trees are in the background. The obverse inscription reads A Crocodile To Be Seen Alive At G. Bayly’s Museum For. The inscription continues on the reverse with All Sorts Of Natural History 242 Piccadilly. Within the inscription is a coiled rattlesnake under a tree.

Another fascinating token, struck circa 1795, is from the firm of Helsop No. 86 Chiswell Street Finsbury Square. The reverse legend continues with The First Shop In London For Natural Curositys Paintings, Coins Colours For Artists &c. The obverse portrays a man and a monkey, both in a contortionist pose with a leg extended in back of their head. Above the two figures reads Can You Do So.

A Cambridge penny issued in 1799 is regarded as a private token, and the few known were probably never placed in circulation. The reverse shows Hobson’s conduit built 1614. The obverse shows Thomas Hobson mounted on a horse, facing right. Taking over from his father’s transport business between Cambridge and London, Hobson kept a stable of about forty horses. Making sure that no horse would be overworked, he insisted that each horse would be used in turn. From this thoughtful act came the expression “Hobson’s Choice” meaning “This or none.”

Tenderden, Kent issued a halfpenny in 1796 featuring a horse and dray (a type of cart) pulling a load of beer barrels. The background shows part of a brew house, and the legend on the bottom reads To Cheer Our Hearts. The obverse shows the coat-of-arms of the Brewer’s Company. Tenderden is mostly known today for the birthplace of TV host, David Frost. An action-filled 1796 Portsea, Hampshire halfpenny shows St. George slaying a dragon on the obverse. The peripheral legend reads Promissory Halfpenny with the date at the bottom. The reverse shows an eight-sailed ship, known as a man-of-war. In the waves is a large fish, swimming in the opposite direction of the ship.

One of the more poignant political tokens of the time features a conjoined head of a man and donkey on its obverse. Dated 1795, this halfpenny-sized Middlesex piece was struck for the Odd-Fellows, a non-profit society that began in the early 1700s. Its purpose was, and still is, to help and care for fellow members in time of need. This was at a time that there was no Social Security, national health plans, or union pension plans. On the reverse is a man sitting in a prison cell, gnawing on a bone, within the caption Before The Revolution. The date is under his chained foot. Another political token shows four men dancing around a pole that is surmounted by a detached, radiated head. The words Tree Of Liberty circle the head, which looks suspiciously like George III.

These items are known as Spence Tokens. They were struck by Thomas Spence, a coin dealer, book seller, and dealer in prints in London. Spence was also an advocate for human rights, and many of his tokens were distinctly anti-royalist. His attitude can be summed up on just a handful of tokens. One has the obverse legend Spence’s glorious plan is parochial partnership in land without private landlordism. On the reverse is This just plan will produce everlasting peace. (etc.) Another token shows a bust facing left, just under T.* Spence in large letters. In smaller letters, around the bust, 7 Months Imprison’d For High Treason*. It is dated 1794. Around the reverse is the legend Noted Advocates For The Rights Of Man and in the center are the names Thos. Spence, Sir Thos Moore, Thos. Paine. Yet another of Spence’s tokens show a man hanging from the gallows, beneath the inscription End of Pain. The reverse shows a pair of pants on fire, with the legend Pandoras Breeches. Showing downright hatred of the monarchy, a Middlesex token, circa 1795, shows a pig trampling on royal emblems. The reverse legend reads The End Of Oppression, with two men dancing around a fire. A more ghoulish token shows a guillotine as its main obverse motif. But not all of Spence’s pieces are morbid. One token has A True Hearted Sailor smoking a pipe, another shows A Westminster Scholar, and another has a shepherd reclining under a tree, with cow in pasture and hills in the background.

Slavery was a much-discussed topic, and many Middlesex tokens, circa 1795, were struck as commentary on this issue. The general obverse device featured a kneeling slave, facing right, a chain extending from hand to foot. The outer device read Am I Not A Man And A Brother. This obverse device appears on farthing, halfpenny and penny-sized tokens. One reverse legend shows two clasped hands in the center, the outer devices reading May Slavery & Oppression Cease Throughout The World. Another reverse legend reads Whatsoever Ye Would That Men Should Do To You, Do Ye Even So To Them. This inscription also appears in French on some tokens. A farthing-sized token shows a pig trampling on a crown and crozier on its reverse.

A 1790 token issued by Spence features a bust of Daniel Mendoza (1764-1836) on the obverse, D. Mendoza above it. On the reverse is two boxers squaring off against each other with A Fashionable Amusement on the outer portions and date at the bottom. Track and field events, team events and other athletic endeavors were not lionized as they are today. Subsequently, events were held free-of-charge to the attending public. Boxing was a popular sport, and Mendoza was its most famous figure. A Jew of Portuguese ancestry, he was called the Father of Scientific Boxing. He published a book in 1789 called “The Art of Boxing,” and his 1790 match with Richard Humphries was the first time sports fans were charged a gate fee to attend a sporting event. Mendoza won the fight and went on to become the British boxing champion, 1792-1795. He was the first boxer to stress tactics and movement instead of brute force, and often defeated fighters who were much heavier than he was.

Commerce is featured on many eighteenth century trade pieces. In Suffolk, a 1795 halfpenny has an auctioneer’s arm, hammer in hand, about to be lowered. Above is a timely statement Going, A Going. The reverse pictures a herald with clarion (announcing a sale?) circled with the inscription Payable At Charles Guest. Under the figure is stated Auctioneer/Bury.

England would not be England without its tea. A 1797 Croydon, Surrey halfpenny has an interlocking DG cypher and the wording Payable At Garraways Croydon. The reverse shows a teapot at the center, surrounded by The Best Teas In Croydon. Another establishment advertising tea comes from Bath in Somerset. A 1794 farthing has a tea chest on its obverse, inscribed with M. Lambe & Son Grocers Bath. In addition to tea, the firm also lists Spices Sugars Coffees. On the reverse is a view of a building, and the wording Stall Street Bath and India House. A 1794 Bath halfpenny token shows a tea urn in the middle of its reverse, along with the slogan Ironmongery Braziery & Cutlery/F. Health. On the obverse is a bust facing left, the legend Bladud Founder Of Bath, written underneath. Above the bust, Success To The Bath Waters. Bladud is a mythological prince who had leprosy. He was driven from the royal court on account of his illness. Wandering England, he eventually became a herder of pigs, until they too contracted leprosy. Eventually, Bladud stumbled across a hot spring, bathed in it and was cured of his illness. He built the city of Bath upon becoming its king.

Another token of interest from Somerset was produced in Bristol. On this, the reverse of a 1796 halfpenny token shows the figure of a robed Galen turning to his left, caduceus in left hand extending unto the ground. The peripheral legend reads I. Chester. Druggist And Chymist or “Chemist” by today’s spelling. Galen was a Greek anatomist and physician, born in Pergamon while it was under the Roman Empire. Next to Hippocrates, he is regarded as the most important ancient Greek physician. After studying in Alexandria and Smyrna, Galen went to Rome where he eventually became the physician of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He died in 201AD. On the outer obverse of the token is the motto Prosperity To The City Of Bristol. Within the motto is a castle overlooking a sailing ship atop wavy seas. Bristol also produced a halfpenny (circa 1795) extolling the manufacturing of glass. The reverse shows a pyramidal building is surround by the motto Success To The Glass Manufactory. The obverse is the same as above. Another seller of medicines was Basil Burchell, who issued many varieties of one token in the mid 1790s. Essentially, one side of the token would read Sole Proprietor Of The Famous Sugar Plums For Worms. The other side advertised an Anodyne Necklace For Children Cutting Teeth.

Nottinghamshire, usually called Nottingham, is world-famous for the story of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. The legend seems to have originated in the fifteenth century, but may have been written even earlier. None of the eighteenth century tokens make mention of this, but Nottingham was known for its mills and fleece. In addition, motifs featuring bees buzzing around a hive act as a central reverse motif for a 1792 halfpenny, so the production of honey also seems to have been a thriving business at that time. Its obverse reads Promissory Halfpenny and it was issued by Donald & Co. Stocking Manufacturers Wholesale & Retail. Though few pieces were struck in this county, Nottingham does present an unusual series of four copper coins issued by Davison and Hawksley of Arnold Works, a wool manufacturer. The designs are identical, but the denominations are stated as *Six Pence*, *One Shilling*, *Halve A Crown* and *A-Crown*. The obverses show a fleece suspended from a tree. Each reverse has a fasces symbol lying across a lance topped with a Phrygian cap. The date, 1791, is at the top of the reverse while the inscription Arnold Works is separated by the fasces and lance. Arnold Works was said to be a mill for spinning wool, and operated in Nottingham. Some adjacent mills that manufactured worsted apparently caught fire in 1791, which resulted in a scarcity for this issue. Some of the coins were gilt and silver plated.

There are dozens of sub-varieties of halfpenny tokens from Liverpool, in Lancashire, struck in 1791. The main devices show a ship sailing from left to right, below the words Liverpool Halfpenny. The reverses show a bird with a twig in its mouth, in a shield. Above the shield is a smaller bird. Around the circumference is Deus Nobis Hac Otia Fecit. Although this same basic design was repeated in 1792 through 1794, the last three years of its issue are assumed to be mostly counterfeits.

As expected of an eighteenth century island nation, shipping played a major role in Great Britain’s economic development. Not surprisingly, ships can be found on many designs from that era. As well, famous buildings and monuments of that era were immortalized on copper medals and coins. One of the most popular medal makers of the time was Peter Kempson of Birmingham. Simply referred to as “Kempson’s” a series of London landmarks was struck for collectors in the late 1790s. Though there are several different reverses, most have an ornate shield in the center with Promissory Penny Token or Penny Token and London as an outer inscription. The obverses show not only mansions, hospitals and businesses, but also The Bank Of England and London Bridge.

In addition to Kempson, other important firms were involved in the manufacture of tokens. Matthew Boulton struck privately issued tokens and coins, before launching into regularly-issued British coinage with James Watt. Another major firm issuing large size penny tokens was Skidmore. The firm’s proprietor, Peter Skidmore, had his operations in Holborn, London. Like Kempson, his tokens were issued for collectors, even though virtually all of his pieces had the denomination British Penny on the reverse, or I Promise To Pay On Demand The Barer One Penny on its edge. Skidmore’s pieces featured scenes such as Guildford Tower in Surrey, and Kendal Castle in Westmoreland. Also, the ruins of an ancient fortress in Yorkshire, called Bowes Castle, and another fortress in Oxfordshire called Sherborne Castle. Even a castle on the Isle of Wight, called Carisbrook is artfully rendered. Perhaps the most famous of Skidmore’s tokens is The Theatre At New York with America under the building (the Park theatre), on the obverse. On the reverse is a cornucopia spilling out items of trade, and two ships sailing on the ocean. The legend atop the devices reads May Commerce Flourish. Hundreds of other copper pieces featuring lace workers, iron mongers, and even early-day lotto sellers can be found on eighteenth century British Trade Tokens.

Although Anglesey, Wales set the stage for hundreds of different tokens eventually issued throughout Great Britain, Wales itself produced little in the way of variety. Most of the Anglesey pennies had the head of a Druid on the obverse, an interwoven cypher P M Co. and date on the reverse, along with One Penny. We Promise To Pay To The Bearer On Demand; halfpennies and farthings were essentially the same. The districts of North Wales and South Wales had a little more variety. Some issues have a laureate bust on the obverse with The Prince Of Wales crest on the reverse, or a Druid head obverse with harp on reverse.

Scotland also produced a variety of tokens. Some from Dundee feature buildings and towers while others from Inverness are perhaps the most beautiful, showing a conjoined rose and thistle on the obverse with cornucopia and Concordia Et Fidelitas on the reverse. Haddington has three farthing-sized tokens representing commerce at that time. One has George Amos Tobacconist on the obverse and a bale of tobacco, atop two crossed pipes on the reverse. Another tobacconist name George Pringle simply has a jar of tobacco on the reverse of his token. Robert Richardson may not sell tobacco, but does advertise Teas Spirits Wines & Groceries on the reverse of his tokens.

Most of the Irish copper pieces relate to businesses in Dublin. The obverses generally show a seated female with harp, the date underneath the devices. Often the outer lettering reads Incorporated By Act Of Parliament or May Ireland Ever Flourish and Industry Has Its Sure Reward. As with England’s copper tokens, sugar, tea, groceries, candies, whiskeys, and candles are similarly advertised.

By 1797, British copper coinage was resumed. Not only was the supply of copper plentiful, but the new hydraulic presses by Matthew Boulton and James Watt made minting much faster and easier. As a result, the need for privately struck pieces diminished greatly, and after a few more spurts of private coinage, their issuance eventually ceased.

Getting an Edge on Numismatics

Jay Erlichman

Consultant to Spink Smythe

jay@erlichman.com

917.402.2367