Mrs. Newsham Conder Token • MS-64 RB

Conder Tokens are 18th Century British Provincial Coinage, similar in nature to U.S. Hard Times Tokens and Civil War Tokens. Struck in response to shortages in official coinage, these tokens circulated just like regular coins did, when available. All Conder Tokens were struck by private concerns.

They became very popular and some issues can be found in sterling condition. Many were put up in collections, even then. James Conder owned a drapery business, struck tokens to advertise, and was a coin collector. He catalogued Conder Tokens and they are associated with his name for that reason.

I like Conder Tokens and searched for years to find a great example of this issue. I'm glad I waited for a dandy. :high5:

 

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So, you're the one that stole that from me!

I love that one and I wanted it but it went high!

I'm glad it stayed in the family. :thumb:

Ribbit

Ps: I assumed that is the one I was also after but maybe it isn't.

 

Very pretty! Congrats.

 

BTW - Amelia Newsham was an albino, which is why she was called the White Negress. It appears she was an attraction at the Curiosity House, along with George Gratten, who suffered from vitiligo (MJD - Michael Jackson Disease), and was known as Harlequin or the Piebald Boy.

Ribbit

 

Are you referring to "Piebald Boy," George Alexander?


Mrs. Newsham was an albino black African-Jamaican woman who was exhibited at Bartholomew Fair in 1795 and was known as the ‘White Negress’. Born in Jamaica, she was sent as a gift from her owner to his son in London. She was sold on to two men who exhibited her across England. She continued to exhibit herself after she gained her freedom and met and married an Englishman, with whom she had six children. She worked for Hall's Exhibition at the Curiosity House, as part of Hall's Exhibition.

Your information is interesting. To supplement a bit, odd sorts of people were used in the exhibition and outside the building, as barkers in the street which jogged around the building which predated the street. Or maybe that was the building in which Pidcock's Exhibition was housed. I get Hall's and Pidcocks a bit confused, not being a 1795 Londoner.

In 1590, Essex House had been recorded as having 42 bedrooms, plus a picture gallery, kitchens, outhouses, a banqueting suite and a chapel. And there was an Exeter House, and Exeter Exchange, apparently called Exeter Change (for short?) See Pidcock's Exhibition farthing token below.



These are areas I'll have to research again since I have obviously forgotten exactly what I read. Perhaps you have more to offer, or can find some more. I'll try to edit this one or make additional posts if I find out more, again. LOL

Thanks for your responses. Perhaps we'll figure this out together as a group, but I have not captured a record of the many Conder-relatled websites I have visited.

 

Nice token, Middlesex D&H 317. Nicer than mine, I have an XF-40. I seems to be a popular token but fortunately seems to be more common than it's mintage of around 9,000 pieces would suggest.

 

Here's Sir Jeffery Dunstan, the companion design to the Mrs. Newsham in my original post above, though this is a large one penny token.

 

Another nice one, Larry! :thumb:

I likes! :eat:

Ribbit

 

More photos of Dunstan

Here are more photos. The smaller view is a bit dark but in larger images this exposure shows the surfaces really well.

 

Hey Larry? What are the edges of your two Hall's tokens? I have the Dunstan obverse with the Negress's reverse and an engrailed edge but D&H doesn't say anything about an engrailed edge and I can't see where those two sides are paired up either. :goofer:

Ribbit

Ps: I'll post pics when it arrives.

 

I figured I'd post the seller's pics for now and if you look closely at the obverse pic, you can barely make out the engrailed edge. :kewl:

Ribbit

Ps: I added the D&H section on these so others can read what's said and try to figure it out too.

 

Very cool tokens, Larry. Some very interesting posts in this thread.

 

Wow that is an impressive token. I love the color and natural aging on it.

Also a strange thread as it seems almost every post until mine is educational and interesting in nature.

 

Very classy tokens, I'll have to keep these in mind and do some research as I attempt to add some to my collection. :thumb:

 

Are you sure it's engrailed? From what I see it looks like it could be a milled right edge. And is thhat a penny token or a half penny? The page from D&H you show is a penny token but the sellers pictures look to me to be more like D&H 315a the half penny token.

I would like to see the Dunstan/Negress token be cause I agree I don't see a reference to such a combination.

 

Here's the info provided by the seller:

Width: 30mm .
Edge: /////

When an edge has slashes in it, I call it an engrailed edge. I don't know what else to call it. :goofer:

Ribbit

Ps: I won't have this for at least two more weeks but when it arrives, I'll post new and better pics.

 

||||||| is milled
/////// is milled right
\\\\\\\ is milled left
>>>>>>>> or }}}}}}}} is engrailed

And at 30 mm it is almost certainly a halfpenny making it either 315 or 315a.

 

Very nice token, where does one find these because I'd like to own one.
Congrats
Bob

 

I'll let you know, when it arrives.

Thankies! :thumb:

Ribbit

 

There are online coin shops that sell them and there's always Ebay. I got mine from Ebay.

Ribbit