From the Shield on an 1813 Three Shillings Token |
“Much inconvenience having been felt by the Public here from the great scarcity of specie. The States met yesterday and passed the enclosed Act, by which Your Lordship will perceive that this assembly is desirous of issuing a local coin provided such a measure should meet with the approbation of His Majesty's Government.
I have to report to your Lordship that every effort to keep a sufficiency of circulating specie in this island has proved ineffectual and I therefore take the liberty of recommending that the measure now proposed may be sanctioned.
The States in the first instance intend to cause about six thousand pounds Sterling to be coined in small silver pieces and stamped with the Arms of the Island and to cover the expense of coinage, carriage, freight, and insurance. The intrinsic worth of the pieces will be a little less than the nominal value at which they will be issued.”4
“I heartily wish that you could get your States to authorize the coinage of Ten Thousand Pounds in Guernsey tokens. This with the coinage ordered by the Jersey States would set all disputes and differences respecting money matters at rest for ever.It is interesting to note that the Royal Mint was not the first place the States of Jersey requested to make these tokens. In December 1812, the States requested Matthew Boulton's Soho mint to strike these tokens.16 In addition to the Royal Mint's eventual eighteen pence and three shilling tokens, a one shilling token was also requested. The allocation was to be:
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“The coin current in Jersey was, until lately, chiefly that of France, with a small proportion of Spanish money. The usual amount of specie, in circulation, has been estimated at nearly £80,000 sterling. After the French revolution, the coin of England became more generally into use, until the increased value of gold and silver completely drained the island of all specie but copper, and even that became scarce. There were, at this period, three regular banking houses in the town of St. Helier. These, and a few mercantile men, were accustomed to issue notes, payable to the bearer on demand, for twenty-four livres French currency. So great, however, and so increasing were the inconveniences occasioned by the almost total disappearance of silver, that those houses were obliged to issue notes of five and ten shillings: these induced individuals to do the same; all having "Jersey Bank" on their notes; until there were about eighty of these soi disant bankers. The island was soon inundated with notes, from the value of one pound down to that of one shilling; many of them issued by the lowest description of traders and publicans. Alarming as this undoubtedly was, necessity gave to these notes a general and ready circulation.
Seriously aware of the ultimate consequences, likely to result from this unrestrained emission of paper money, the States resolved to have a silver coin struck: accordingly a quantity of tokens was issued, bearing the value of three shillings, and of eighteen pence English, to the amount of £10,000 sterling.* The issuing of notes under the value of one pound sterling, was then forbidden; yet such apprehensions respecting the notes still in circulation were excited among the country inhabitants, that those who attended the market, hoarded all the coin and tokens they could procure: this was at least the reason assigned and generally believed, for the disappearance, in a few months, of nearly all the newly coined silver. The scarcity still continues, though not in the same degree.
* About the value of £2600 sterling has been added. The States have since made an act, whereby every person issuing notes payable to bearer, is to have a regular office for the payment of them in the town of St. Helier. In consequence of this regulation, many have withdrawn their notes from circulation. The rapidly increasing evil is thus checked, but the public security will probably render stricter measures necessary”.
Silver Tokens Production at a Glance |
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He was instrumental in warning the States of the potential of counterfeits. At this time, counterfeiting of silver coins was still a problem or as Greg Roberts writes in his blog "Wicked William Regency Blog inspired by the life and times of William-Pole-Tylney-Long-Wellesley (1788-1857)": ... Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society - a post he held for 42 years. The Royal Society traditionally exercised control over currency manufacture. The Mint comprised of disparate departments with strict, almost medieval, working practices. The Royal Society acted like a glue to keep these elements working together and to oversee innovation and improvement.
For a fun read, see
"Revisiting the Case of Joseph Hunton - Silver Token Issuer and Last Man Hanged for Forgery" by Gary Oddie.
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Eighteen Pence (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Mintage Diameter 1813 38,740 26.50Things to note:
Three Shillings (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Mintage Diameter 1813 71,104 35.00Things to note:
“The issue of the regal copper coinage of 1797 (known as that of the 'Soho' type), supplied a great want in the national currency; but the expensive warfare of the period, in which this country was engaged, enhanced the price of copper, and much of that heavy coinage, consisting of twopenny and penny pieces, consequently found its way to the smelting houses; while the value of the tokens of the eighteenth century becoming intrinsically enhanced, large quantities of the more honest description of those pieces also disappeared; and the spurious ones, being decried by authority, likewise found their way to the melting-pot. Thus another deficiency in the quantity of the copper currency soon arose. Eventually, however, the price of copper fell, and then this branch of trade came comparatively depressed, so that, about the year 1811, the large copper companies and other firms, seeing that the change in the value of the metal afforded a favorable opportunity for supplying the deficiency in the circulating medium, took advantage of the circumstance, and commenced striking and issuing a fresh series of provincial copper coins, such pieces constituting the nineteenth century series of tokens proper, as it may be termed.”According to some, the Jersey copper tokens were probably all private issues. Others think that these were patterns to be approved by the Island authorities. Depending on your source there are various different issues of penny tokens that circulated on the island. However everyone will agree that there is only one half penny token. As far as the tokens themselves, with the exception of the Prince of Wales Plumes / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney combination penny, all Jersey copper tokens are very rare. (The Prince of Wales Plumes / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney combination is just rare.) Things to note:
You can read in The Bazaar, the Exchange and Mart a nice description
of these Jersey tokens.
To learn more about 19th century British copper tokens in general, you need to the read the best book on the subject, British Copper Tokens 1811-1820, by Paul and Bente Withers. This book is fully illustrated and was written to set the standard. No numismatic library is complete without this book. |
Prince of Wales Plumes / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney Half Penny (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 2050 241-14 63 T12 --This token is a companion piece to the first penny token but is much rarer. Although this is not the rarest token, this is still the most sought after token of the series. From an article by A H Baldwin & Sons Ltd concerning their historical "Baldwin Basement" stock:
“Of particular note is the collection formed by Francis S Cokayne who assembled an astounding number of tokens, probably the finest, and most extensive collection ever formed. He began collecting, along with his brother, Morton, in the late 1880s, had the pick of James Atkins' cabinet, traded regularly with many of the noted collectors of the period, and seems to have participated in every public token auction in the United Kingdom for over 50 years, either directly or through a representative (it was a standing rule at Baldwin's that staff could not leave on Friday until a new parcel of tokens was posted to Mr Cokayne's offices on Montagu Square). A number of the tokens in this auction can be further traced through him to William Norman, Frederick Lincoln, Samuel Hamer, Lionel Fletcher, William Davis, and, of course, James Atkins, among others."It is interesting to note that a similar piece was purchased by Mr Cokayne at the ex-Murdoch auction of 12/12/1904, LOT 209 for 5 pounds 15 shillings, which makes this one of the most expensive tokens he purchased.
The Various Configurations of the 1813/1814 Penny Tokens | |||||
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Number | Withers1 | Davis2 | Pridmore3 | McCammon4 | Atkins5 |
1 | 2044 | 241-10 | 62 | T6 | 49 |
2 | 2043 | 241-7 | 65 | T5 | 52 |
3 | 2045 | 242-13 | 66 | T7 | 51 |
4 | 1636 | 241-8 | Rejected | T9 | |
5 | 1681 | 242-12 | 68 | T10 | |
6 | 2035 | 241-4 | 60 | T2 | 47 |
7 | 2037 | 241-5 | 61 | T3 | 48 |
8 | 2038 | ||||
9 | 2039 | ||||
10 | 2042 | 241-6 | 64 | T4 | 50 |
11 | 1635 | 241-9 | Rejected | T11 | |
12 | 1680 | 241-11 | 67 | ||
13 | 1682 | 69 | T8 | ||
1 Withers, Paul and Bente, British Copper Tokens 1811-1820 2 Davis, W.J., The Nineteenth Century Token Coinage of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and The Isle of Man, to which are added Tokens of Over One Penny Value of Any Period 3 Pridmore,F., The Coins of The British Commonwealth of Nations, Part 1 European Territories 4 McCammon, A.L.T., Currencies of the Anglo-Norman Isles 5 Atkins, James, The Coins and Tokens of The Possessions and Colonies of The British Empire |
The Various Configurations of the 1813/1814 Penny Tokens | |||||
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Number | Withers1 | Davis2 | Pridmore3 | McCammon4 | Atkins5 |
1 | 2044 | 241-10 | 62 | T6 | 49 |
2 | 2043 | 241-7 | 65 | T5 | 52 |
3 | 2045 | 242-13 | 66 | T7 | 51 |
4 | 1636 | 241-8 | Rejected | T9 | |
5 | 1681 | 242-12 | 68 | T10 | |
6 | 2035 | 241-4 | 60 | T2 | 47 |
7 | 2037 | 241-5 | 61 | T3 | 48 |
8 | 2038 | ||||
9 | 2039 | ||||
10 | 2042 | 241-6 | 64 | T4 | 50 |
11 | 1635 | 241-9 | Rejected | T11 | |
12 | 1680 | 241-11 | 67 | ||
13 | 1682 | 69 | T8 | ||
1Withers, Paul and Bente, British Copper Tokens 1811-1820 2Davis, W.J., The Nineteenth Century Token Coinage of Great Britain, Ireland, the Channel Islands and The Isle of Man, to which are added Tokens of Over One Penny Value of Any Period 3Pridmore,F., The Coins of The British Commonwealth of Nations, Part 1 European Territories 4McCammon, A.L.T., Currencies of the Anglo-Norman Isles 5Atkins, James, The Coins and Tokens of The Possessions and Colonies of The British Empire |
Some of the Die Pairings for the One Penny Tokens |
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Prince of Wales Plumes / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 1 2044 241-10 62 T6 49For the first token, the obverse has the Badge of the Prince of Wales, three ostrich feathers enfiled in base by a coronet, and on a ribbon the motto: ICH DIEN. The legend is “TO FACILITATE TRADE” and the date 1813 is beneath the badge. The slogan “TO FACILITATE TRADE” was used to encourage circulation.11 The reverse is simply the inscription “ONE PENNY TOKEN” in three lines with the legend “JERSEY GUERNSEY AND ALDERNEY.” The diesinker was Thomas Halliday, the most famous diesinker of the early nineteenth century British copper tokens. There are several different minor varieties depending on the graining of the edge and die orientation. This particular variety had a rusted reverse die. This token is the easiest token in the series to locate but is still considered rare. Both the obverse and reverse dies are muled with other dies of this period and form the basis of the series.
Druid / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 2 2043 241-7 65 T5 52For the next token, the reverse is similar to the first token. However, on the obverse, there is a druid's head with the legend “PURE COPPER PREFERABLE TO PAPER.” During this time copper was thought to be a good investment and there was a distrust of paper.11
Wreath / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 3 2045 242-13 66 T7 51
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Druid / Commerce Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 4 1636 241-8 Rejected T9 --The fourth token is also rare, but it might not have any direct connection with the States of Jersey. The obverse is the druid design. The reverse has a female (Commerce) seated on a bale of merchandise holding an olive branch in her right hand and a cornucopia in her left. In the distance, a ship can be seen. There are various examples known to have been struck over the McCammon T6 token, which was definitely used in Jersey.
Prince of Wales Plumes / Commerce Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 5 1681 242-12 68 T10 --The fifth token is a rare mule token, which could have circulated in Jersey. Like most of the other Jersey copper tokens of this period, they were engraved by Thomas Halliday, a die engraver and token manufacturer of Newhall Street and Hagley Row, Birmingham, England.13 The obverse is the Prince of Wales plumes design. This seems to be a favorite design of his, given the fact that he used it on several English tokens of this same period. The reverse is the same as the previous token. Thomas Halliday also worked for the Messrs. Morgan & Company, Die Makers, Medallists and Token Manufacturers. Mr. Henry Morgan advertised in the newspapers of the day and it is quite likely these copper tokens were ordered through and supplied by the Morgan firm, but possibly were “handled” by Thomas Halliday. You can read more about Mr. Morgan entrepreneurship in James O'Donald Mays' book, Tokens of Those Trying Times.
Jersey Bank Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 7 W2037 241-5 61 T3 48For token number seven, the obverse has a draped and laureated bust to the right of George III, with an H on the truncation. The legend is simply “JERSEY BANK 1813.” Halliday engraved this die. On the reverse, there is a robed female figure seated to the left on a bale, holding scales and a cornucopia. Typical of these coins, the female represents Justice and Plenty. The legend is “ONE PENNY TOKEN.” This is a very rare token.
Jersey Bank Penny Token Image Courtesy of Philip Warrington (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 9 W2039 ---The obverse of the ninth token also has a draped and laureated bust of George III to the right, with no H on truncation. There are nine leaves in the wreath. The legend reads “JERSEY BANK 1813.” This die was also engraved by Halliday. The reverse is also the same as token number seven.
George III within Wreath / Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 10 W2042 241-6 64 T4 50The obverse of the tenth token has a laureated and draped bust to the right of George III, within a wreath of oak. The reverse is similar to the Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney tokens. Once again, the die was engraved by Halliday.
Druid / 1814 Commerce Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1814 11 1635 241-9 Rejected T11 --The eleventh token has the druid's head obverse. The reverse has a robed female figure, Britannia, seated to the left on a bale of merchandise, holding in her right hand a sprig of olive, and in her left a palm branch; a shield at the side. The legend is “COMMERCE” and in the exergue is the date 1814. Halliday engraved this die.
Prince of Wales Plumes / Commerce with Cornucopia Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 12 1680 242-11 67 -- --The twelfth token has a robed female figure seated to the left on a bale of merchandise, holding an olive branch in her right hand and a cornucopia in her left hand with a ship in the distance. The legend reads “COMMERCE.” Halliday engraved this die. The obverse is similar to the first token with the Prince of Wales' feathers emerging from a coronet. The motto on the ribbon is “ICH DIEN” and under the crest is the date 1813. The legend is “TO FACILITATE TRADE.” Once again, the die was engraved by Halliday.
Sheffield Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) |
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Year Number Withers Davis Pridmore McCammon Atkins 1813 13 1682 -- 69 T8 --The last token, number 13, for the obverse has a female, Justice, standing holding an olive branch and scales within a wreath of olive and palm branches. In very small print the words “SHEFFIELD PENNY TOKEN” is beneath the female. The other side is similar to the first token with the Prince of Wales' design.
Flint Copper Company Overstruck on Jersey Bank Penny Token Image Courtesy of Philip Warrington (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Burton Overstruck on Jersey Bank Penny Token Image Courtesy of Philip Warrington (click on image to enlarge) | |
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Sedbury Iron Works Overstruck on Jersey Bank Penny Token (click on image to enlarge) | |
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