The Stamp Act of 1765, The Pitt Token, and the Road Towards the American Revolution.

It took six weeks for the news to reach America, but when it did, the reaction amongst the inhabitants of the American Colonies was one of great anger, dismay and fury.

On march 22nd 1765 royal assent had been given to the 'Stamp Act' which had proposed earlier in Parlament by Prime Minister Grenville. The act related to the taxation of items involved in everyday transactions in the Colonies, and was considered an expedient, convenient means to raise funds to pay for the up-keep of a British standing army in North America. It was designed to tax 54 individual items ranging from diplomas, marriage licenses, shipping bills, contracts, liquor licenses even newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets and playing cards...


THE STAMP ACT



The colonists anger was fueled by the fact that they were now to be taxed for ordinary transactions and goods of everyday live, all items on which they had never been taxed before; moreover, all of this had been decided by a parlament and king seating many thousands of miles away, and on which they had no recourse and no means of defense – in essence, „Taxation without Representation.“




Colonial legislatures reacted by swiftly passing acts condemning the Stamp Act and organised opposition was planned in a joint congress in New York City.

The citizens, too, let their anger be loudly felt in vocal and sometimes violent demonstrations. Mob violence occurred against stamp distributors and tax officials so that many quit their jobs before the Act was due to come into force.



Opposition to the Act also had an effect on commerce between England and the Colonies. Colonial merchants effectively formed non-importation agreements stating that they would not buy or sell British manufactured goods until the Stamp Act was repealed.
This single action had a huge impact in Britain as manufacturing came to a halt, many people became unemployed and businesses faced bankruptcy. English businessmen began to call on Parliament to repeal the Act.

As news of these events in America began to reach England, and the effect on commerce began to be felt, debate on the Stamp Act started in Parliament.

The cause of the colonists found some supporters in England, the most notable of which was William Pitt the Elder, a powerful member of Parliament and former Prime Minister.

William Pitt the Elder, Statesman and Former Prime Minister of England


Pitt stated in impassioned debate that everything done by Prime Minister Grenville (who had originally pushed forward the bill for the Stamp Act ) "has been entirely wrong" with respect to the colonies. He further stated, "It is my opinion that this Kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies." Pitt still maintained "the authority of this kingdom over the colonies, to be sovereign and supreme, in every circumstance of government and legislature whatsoever," but he made the distinction that taxes were not part of governing, but were "a voluntary gift and grant of the Commons alone." And, in further debate, "I rejoice that America has resisted. Three millions of people, so dead to all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of the rest."

William Pitts speech to Parliament can be read in full here:
https://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/pitt.cfm

The angry reaction in the colonies, together with the ensuing dire effect on commerce, and not the least the impassioned speeches and defence of the colonist's rights by William Pitt before Parliament led finally to the Repeal of the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766.

Pitts acts endeared him to the colonists as a Friend of America and demonstrations of recognition toward him were spontaneous throughout the colonies.


Numismatic Relics of the Stamp Act - The PITT TOKENS:

The so-called Pitt Farthing and Halfpenny are the best known numismatic items which bear witness to the recognition of William Pitt's contribution toward Repeal of the Stamp Act.

This is what the Newman Numismatic Portal writes about these tokens or medalets:
„The Pitt tokens are yet another enigmatic entry in the American colonial coin catalog. Nothing is known of their manufacture, which might have occurred in England or in America, nor is the engraver known. What is certain is that they commemorative William Pitt’s involvement in the repeal of the Stamp Act (1766). The Act required a stamp on every official document in the colonies, the proceeds of which were intended to support a standing British army in America, whose primary duty would be of course to enforce the collection of even more taxes from the colonists. The Act was repealed in 1766 due to the influence of William Pitt and others, including Benjamin Franklin.

With little in the way of a documentary record, the pieces themselves tell the story. They were issued in two sizes, historically referred to as “farthings” or “halfpennies” even though no coining authority has been identified. They did circulate in the colonies, and have been found by detectorists. The small format “farthing” pieces are substantially more scarce than the large format “halfpenny,” ….“

Extended description of the Pitt Tokens at the U. of Notre Dame site:
https://coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Pitt.intro.html

A recent (September 2019) census of Pitt Farthings conducted under sponsorship of the Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society (author: Chris McDowell) lists all 24 known examples.

Link to the recent census at the Newman Numismatic Portal:
https://nnp.wustl.edu/blog-post/519690


I was very fortunate recently to be able to find this example of the very scarce William Pitt Farthing.
My example weighs 58,1 grains which is fully in-line with known examples. The diameter is also in-line at ca. 25 mm. The planchet shows the typical brassy tone of the medalet which was struck on a yellow bronze cast brass planchet. The planchet does show some edge taps and imperfections, as well as two dull dents, one in front of the collar which caused the reverse to wear unevenly in the area of the ship's sails.
Fortunately, this damage (if it is indeed p.m.d), did not leave any further mechanical damage on the planchet.



The overall condition is good, with no environmental damage to the planchet.
No attempt at all has been made to clean it.

After carefully reviewing the pictures of the medalets listed in the Census, I believe my example would rank 8th to 9th in the census with regard to condition and remaining detail. However, the uneven wear caused by the dent would knock it down. (By how much, is admittedly subjective, but I do believe it would rank within the top 15 specimens).

I am very excited to have this medalet in my collection. The Pitt Farthing and Halfpenny bear witness to an important event in the course of American history. They are historical numismatic items which commemorate not only William Pitt, the Friend of America, but also an event which was undoubtedly pivotal on the road toward the American Revolution.

 

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Pitt engraving shows one ugly bugger, but Beautiful Example of this historic token.
Congrats on adding this rarity to your collection.
J.T.

 

Very nice. Thanks for posting.

 

thanks for the history lesson, Eduard, and I really like your Pitt token. Very wholesome example.

 

Thank you for your replies.

Thank you, @ksparrow, for me what is special about this Token is the history behind it. You truly feel like you are holding significant history in your hands.

 

Very nice write up. I recall seeing listings for Pitt tokens before, but never paid any attention to them. I love coins with historical stories and I'm kicking myself for not knowing the story behind this one. I have a small colonial type collection and this will be added to my want list.

 

Thank you, @Oldhoopster .As you state, the Pitt tokens certainly has a lot of historical background. That is the reason why I appreciate the type so much.

Although most probably struck in England, the Pitt halfpenny, in particular, seems to have circulated relatively widely in America since a fair number of them seem to have been found in the U.S by detectorists.
You should be able to find a nice example of the halfpenny without too much trouble. The Pitt farthing, on the other hand, would be more difficult as it remains a rare coin with only 24 examples known. But, who knows.

 

I'll go with the half penny. Searched the auction records at Heritage and found a grade and price range that works for me. Time to go looking for the right one

 

Very interesting, great piece of history thanks. Nice pickup on the farthing. I have a holed halfpenny, probably the only one I will ever have but am happy to have that.

 

Excellent article which I throughly enjoyed reading.

 

Thank you, Collecting Nut, for your kind comment.
Finding this piece gave me an excellent opportunity to read up on this and other events on the years leading up to the Revolution. The more I read, the more the impact of the Stamp Act became clear to me as the catalyst, or better yet, the 'Fuse that lit the Powder Keg' of sentiment in the colonies which ultimately led to the war, and finally, to Independence.

 

Thank you, @I.cutler for your comment. I would have been happy with a halfpenny as well, and in fact, that is what i was initially looking for. Finding a farthing was totally fortuitous. I am now in the process of contacting the ANS, and the author of the census, to report and record this new example.

 

I believe the Stamp Act was the final straw for our forefathers.