Catbert

As some of you know, I do like to collect "Conder" tokens that were created in the late 1700s in Britain as a response to the crown refusing to mint small change for the common man working during the industrial revolution. This one isn't as flashy as my recently posted Bayly's, but it has a certain charm that grabbed me.

This is a bronzed piece meaning the copper was coated with bronze powder. This was done on rolled stock before cutting out or striking. This will give the coin/token a dark chocolate brown appearance. There are non bronzed versions of this token that will have started out red like most newly minted copper. This one started out dark and is just a different look! The bronzing was probably done for collectors at that time.

This half penny token was made in the county of Gloucestershire in 1796 and is in AU condition with about 31,900 struck (considered common, not scarce or rare). The legend for the obverse states "Industry Leads to Honour" which I take to mean that hard work brings good character (I agree!). This merchant (J. Morse) was advertising his orchard business. Here's the obverse with what I suspect is his family coat of arms:



The reverse of the token is what really caught my eye. Here is some speculation as to why the inscription was done in a spiral:

"In a spirit of numismatic whimsy (and, one suspects, because no one else had yet thought of it), Morse had a long legend rendered in the form of a spiral. The continuous line beneath the letters may have been intended by a harrassed die-sinker as a guide from which to work. The token is fairly common, usually seen in rather fine condition. The edge lettering announced that the piece was payable in Newent, which thus makes it a true commercial token. On the other hand, the spiral legend could hardly be other than an attempt to catch the eye of the collector." http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/projects/PiN/emt.html

I've lightened the picture so you can better read the inscription:



What do you think of my new token?

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acanthite

That is a great token!

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rzage

Love it , the reverse is kool , the way it's written in a circle , also with around 30,000 I'd think it would be rarer , exspecially that old , I like the color also . Great piece of history , which alot of your coins are , keep on posting , I'll have to check Coin chat , I'd think more people would find them if posted at World coins . JMO
rzage

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Catbert

Rusty - you are right that is an option, but it's okay to post here where more eyes will see. It's an unusual piece and I wanted to share with the general crowd although it doesn't appear to be drawing much interest

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See some of Catbert's coins:

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Hobo

I like coins (and tokens) that not only have interesting design but also have an interesting story. Way to go.

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No state shall emit bills of credit, make any thing but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts, coin money . . . - US Constitution, Article 1, Section 10

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TheNoost

Beautiful token. I wonder if the spiral was used to hypnotize the consumer.

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