Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Catbert, post: 453883, member: 12718&quot;]As some of you know, I do like to collect &quot;Conder&quot; 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&#039;t as flashy as my recently posted Bayly&#039;s, but it has a certain charm that grabbed me.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>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.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>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 &quot;Industry Leads to Honour&quot; which I take to mean that hard work brings good character (I agree!). This merchant (J. Morse) was advertising his orchard business. Here&#039;s the obverse with what I suspect is his family coat of arms:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1796%20Newent%2064/Newent64token.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>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:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><i>&quot;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.&quot;</i> <a href="http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/projects/PiN/emt.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/projects/PiN/emt.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.chicagocoinclub.org/projects/PiN/emt.html</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I&#039;ve lightened the picture so you can better read the inscription:</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><img src="http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh297/IndianaCatbert/1796%20Newent%2064/Newent64token2a.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>What do you think of my new token?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in