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Message:: [QUOTE="Catbert, post: 652968, member: 12718"]It is a 1797 Conder token, catalogued in the Dalton and Hamer reference book as from the county of Middlesex 906. For 18th Century English Provincial token collectors, it is one of the most popular and desired tokens to possess (minimally, at least for this collector) of 1000s of different varieties that can be accumulated! It is considered rare with less than 75 made. Collectors label it the “wild man” token. It was produced for a merchant by the name of Richard Summers who was located in the West End of London. He was a dealer in curiosities, but also sold perfume (R.C. Bell – Tradesmen’s Tickets and Private Tokens). Unlike some earlier tokens created for small change (in response to the refusal of the King to produce anything but silver and gold pieces), this piece was likely made for contemporary collectors who became fascinated with the craftsmanship of their makers. Here are the seller’s pics (Jerry Bobbe): <img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1797%20Wild%20Man%20906/1797WildmanSellerPic.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> The Obverse It is a man or is it an ape? I could imagine such a figure or mask displayed in Mr. Summer’s shop to entice interest among his customers or to create an ambience of the exotic. The token’s legend reads: “A WILD MANS HEAD FROM THE LAND OF JESSO TO BE SEEN AT” and the statement continues on the reverse. The Land of Jesso was not a real place and can be seen on old maps to represent unexplored or unknown areas. A web reference states: “…."Jesso" can be said to be a combination of Hokkaido, Sakhalin and southeast Siberia. The indigenous group known as the Ainu are native to both Hokkaido and Sakhalin, so the unfortunate "wild man" was presumably of that ethnic group. The alternative, of course, is that the head wasn't a real human head, and that Mr Summers crafted it himself. He would then have chosen "Jesso", on the far side of the world, because nobody would have known any better to contradict him.” <a href="http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23742" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23742" rel="nofollow">http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23742</a> I’ve taken an off angle picture than I think strikes the appropriate “terror” response! <img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1797%20Wild%20Man%20906/1797Wildman019.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> The Reverse In the middle is Richard Summers’ cypher RS. The outer edge continues the sentence from the obverse with his business address. He advertises that “PAINTINGS BOUGHT SOLD AND EXCHANGED”. Here’s another off angle picture that captures the 100% red (amazing for something this old): <img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1797%20Wild%20Man%20906/1797Wildman026.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /> The Pedigree Another compelling aspect to this piece is its pedigree that I would be remiss in not sharing. It was once owned by Wayne Anderson who was an early copper specialist who assembled an extensive Conder token collection. He commissioned Allan Davisson to auction his collection that was conducted in April 2000 soon after his death from cancer. The auction catalogue states: “Wayne’s goal was to have the finest possible example of each piece he collected. He understood the issues involved – flan, strike, die polishing, flan polishing before the strike, surface, natural color, long term storage effects – and was constantly refining his collection.” He also possessed a major collection of rare marbles and was an expert on custom knives (Davissons Ltd. catalogue - Auction Thirteen, Part II, The Wayne Anderson Collection). Wayne Anderson was also the founder of the CTCC – the Conder Token Collectors Club, of which I am a member, and its first editor of their quarterly journal.  In a tiny way, I hope to honor his memory by this post.[/QUOTE]

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