Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;John Conduitt, post: 4705343, member: 109923&quot;]This is a St Helena halfpenny token minted at Soho. At the time St Helena was controlled by the East India Company.</p><p><br /></p><p>The story (according to <i>The Coinage of British West Africa &amp; St Helena 1684-1958</i>) is that after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled on St Helena. The arrival of his entourage and the guarding force of British troops (which suddenly doubled the island&#039;s population) gave a massive boost to the island&#039;s economy.</p><p><br /></p><p>In response, in 1821 two sets of copper tokens were ordered for use on the island. The first unofficial issue came from a local firm of merchants, while the second was minted by Matthew Boulton at Soho for the East India Company (702,704 halfpennies, total cost £1,000).</p><p><br /></p><p>Before either were circulated, Napoleon died and everyone left. The surplus of unissued coins was returned in 1830 and melted down, but halfpennies were already in circulation.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1155139[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>1821, halfpenny token, St Helena, 29mm, Soho Mint, AUSP: REGIS &amp; SENAT ANGLIÆ (KM A4).[/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