Mrs. Newsham Conder Token • MS-64 RB

The edge on my Jeffery Dunstan one penny token (DH 26) reads...

MANUFACTURED B(Y) W. LUTWYCHE BIRMINGHAM • X •

The Y is barely and only partially visible, scrunched up against the W.
There is a large space after Birimingham.

----------------------

The edge of my halfpenny Mrs. Newsham token will forever remain a mystery,
except that NGC has labeled it as D&H 317, MS-64 RB.

D&H says it should have a PLAIN edge. : )

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Here's a recent acquisition, an uncirculated bronzed proof, Hampshire DH79e, with PLAIN EDGE.

Photos were taken with direct lighting, then axial lighting.

 

UH Larry, that coin wouldn't happen to be in an NGC slab would it?? The reason I ask is be cause if so it is another example of their typical horrible mis-attributions.

For starters it isn't a bronzed proof. Secondly it isn't from Hampshire it's from Yorkshire. Third it isn't a Yorkshire 79, it's a Yorkshire 63. Fourth the Yorkshire 63 with a plain edge is 63d not 63e. Fifth a Hampshire 79 with a plain edge would be a 79b. In short, if this is in an NGC slab the only thing they got right is that it is a Conder token.

 

UH Larry, that coin wouldn't happen to be in an NGC slab would it?? The reason I ask is be cause if so it is another example of their typical horrible mis-attributions.

For starters it isn't a bronzed proof. Secondly it isn't from Hampshire it's from Yorkshire. Third it isn't a Yorkshire 79, it's a Yorkshire 63. Fourth the Yorkshire 63 with a plain edge is 63d not 63e. Fifth a Hampshire 79 with a plain edge would be a 79b. In short, if this is in an NGC slab the only thing they got right is that it is a Conder token.

Of course another possibility is you posted the wrong picture. Waiting to find out which it is.

 

I have never collected Conder tokens, even the examples from Scotland, but I have always found them very fascinating, because some of them were very utilitarian and created for use and others were created with an audience of specific collectors that saved them in cabinets which accounts for their great preservation now some 200 years later.

They are also a very fascinating historical record of the time, I wished I had seen this thread before.

 

Always good to verify the NGC attribution. NEN had a Pidcocks token for sale which is now listed by CRO as a MSex 420 when it is actually #430. I had notified NEN of the mistake but the site was not updated before it was sold. :desk:

 

Agreed, NGC attributions on Conder tokens are VERY frequently wrong. Another thing I find funny is their claim that they will not slab counterfeits at all, even ones with a history of being collectible. Then I point out to them contemporary counterfeit Conder tokens in their slabs. For some reason they don't answer me about those.

 

There were a couple of mistakes in my last post above...

• The token is Yorkshire, York 63 with the lettered edge described in D&H.

• The token is a bronzed UNC from Bill McKivor, an expert on Conder Tokens, though there are several folks with great knowledge of Conders.

• The bottom images are better for color and clearly show a bronze tone and not copper. The upper images were taken using axial lighting and the color is not accurate compared to normal lighting. Photos taken with axial lighting simulate what a coin looks like when it is tilted toward a light source.

 

Now, here is an uncirculated example in copper, with normal surfaces. Well, better than normal. ; )

 

Some beautiful Conder tokens, Larry, and impressive photography! Thanks so much for sharing these, they're among our favorite series! So underrated compared to U.S. coins ...

 

Wow, WOw, WOW! What a knockout! Superb surfaces and splendid photos!

 

Nice Conder!

 

Yes it is. : )

And the more photos I take, the more fun it is. : )

 

Very nice Yorkshire 63.

I've always liked that variety. Most US collectors have never really seen an example of a truly engraved die. Enlarge the picture of the cathedral. That coin is about the size of a large centand everything you see on that coin is the result of hand engraving in reverse into the steel die blank. All that fine detail work around the doors and the work in the windows, the grass on the lawn etc. This wasn't a case of reducing an enlarged model it was all done one to one scale.

 

Today's pics of this Conder Token

Hey, Conder101, Do you have any idea who engraved or struck this token? Thanks. : )

Here are two final images, maybe. No promises. LOL

 

Diesinker: Dixon

Issuer: Lutwyche

25,750 made.

Great piece, Larry - you are assembling a mighty fine collection! I wish I could take photos like you too.

 

Wow...my conders just started looking alot less impressive...
Excuse me while I go wipe the drool from the keyboard.

 

Thanks very much, Catbert. : ) That's helpful information.

Bill did not know off hand, but he did say that Conder101 is a also a good resource when it comes to Conder Tokens. : )

 

Here's something quite special, too. It's another new arrival.

Fewer than 30 pieces were struck of this variety, and this one is a Gem. : )

 

Some of the tokens were issued purely for collectors thanks to James Condor's work, it became quite a fashionable hobby amongst the well-to-do. I suspect some of the particularly high quality ones may have been struck for that purpose, although most of them were of higher quality than the official low denomination currency of the day struck by the RM, which by then was looking distinctly old-fashioned and amateurish compared to what Matthew Boulton and others were capable of with their modern steam-powered equipment...