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    17thC Trade Tokens and farthings

     

    There was also a dire shortage of coins of small denominations, such as a housewife needed for everyday shopping, a problem that had been increasing since James I’s day. The few copper farthings produced were all under license to various nobles, and the supply of them was not sufficient to fill the demand. Shopkeepers evolved a pragmatic solution: trade tokens. In the 1660’s there were 3,543 ‘tokeners’ in the City of London, its suburbs and Westminster.

    These tokens were usually made of lead, tin or copper, although some were of leather. They were usually worth a halfpenny or farthing (only the coffee-houses found it worthwhile to issue 1 penny tokens). They were small and came in a variety of shapes – round, heart-shaped, diamond, square or hexagonal. Shopkeepers kept boxes with compartments for each issuer (usually only for those tokeners in the same area, not all 3,543!) When they had enough they returned them to the issuer, who changed them for silver or notes of hand. In March 1668, Prince Rupert and the Duke of Norfolk suggested to the King that they should make ‘current farthings’ to prevent ‘the loss and inconvenience by private tokens in case of removals etc., as appeared in the late Fire of London.’ However, it was not until 1672 the mint started issuing the first copper farthings. The following references may be of help if readers wish to pursue the interest further:

    The Provincial Token-Coinage of the Eighteenth Century, by Dalton & Hamer
    British Tokens and Their Values, Seaby
    The Nineteenth Century Token Coinage by W.J.Davis
    Silver Token-Coinage 1811-1812 by R.Dalton

    Norweb Collection - Vol 1 to 5 Tokens of the British Isles 1575 - 1750

    This is a very rare 17thC trade token as the Norweb ref books do not show any tokens issued for Hadleigh - great find

    1667 Thomas Martin of Hadleigh Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv THOMAS MARTIN

    Rev TS

    1667 OF.HADLEIGH

    Unlisted in Norweb 17thC John Hubert , IHB - hammered copper trade farthing

    1653 Hammered copper trade farthing - unlisted in ref books - Norweb

    Obv THM

    Thomas MVDBAT ?

    Rev Long +

    17thC Colchester Essex and surrounding areas - hammered copper trade coins

    17th copper trade farthing 'Martin Langley in 'East Colchester Streete(East Hill) 1.07g
    1658 Nathaniel Strickson Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Michael Arnold of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Ref Norweb 1157b

    1666 Giles Tayspill of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade half penny

    'His half penny'

    17thC Peter Pelle, bay maker of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Joseph Wolford, Mercers of Toppesfield Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb Fig 1407 Part II

    17thC Peter Robinson, grocer of Chelmsford Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1665 John Milbanch of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC William Ambrose hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb i 549

    1656 Francis Clarke of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Christopher Bayles of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Richard Bush in Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb 1164

    17thC Richard Cock of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    1656 Richard Rich of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Ref Norweb 1216

    1668 Voll Abraham of Colchester Essex hammered copper farthing

    Ref Norweb 1233a

    17thC John Dehart, Clothworkers of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    1666 'His half penny' hammered copper trade half penny

    Polock 'Thisellworth'

    17thC John King, grocer of Colchster Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Ref Norweb 1185

     
    17thC William Aldred of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing  

     

    17thC Jonas Whale baker of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    Rev IWS

    Norweb 1234a

     

     

    1668 Alex Satterthwaite Colchester hammered copper trade half penny

    17thC Isaac Colman, grocer of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

     

     

    17thC Isaac Colman, grocer, apothecaries - Colchester hammered copper trade farthing - undated type

    1667 Isaac Colman, grocer of Colchester in Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb Ref 1171

    1654 Theo Lambe of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    St Botolph's Gate neighbourhood

    AT BVTTIS GATE

     

     

    1667 Isaac Coleman grocer hammered copper trade farthing

     

    1667 Alaba Langley, bay maker of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

     

     

     

    1656 John Lambe of Colchester copper trade farthings

     

     

     

    Robert Walford if Castle Hedingham

     

    17thC Robert Walford of Castle Hedingham hammered copper trade farthing

    Spelt Heningham

    Norweb 1300a

     

    Raven Tavern of Gloucester

     

    1650 Raven Tavern of Gloucester was held by William Warwick - hammered copper trade farthing

    Rev WWA

    Norweb 1676a

     

    Elias Moortier of Colchester

     

    17thC Elias Moortier , bays maker of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

     

    William Moore, bays maker of Colchester

     

    17thC William Moore , bays maker of Colchester Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb Fig 1202 Part II

     

     

    John Lawerence of Colchester

     

    1662 John Lawerence Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

    1653 John Sewell, grocer of Colchester

     

     

    Nathaniel Lawrence of Colchester

     

    1662 Nathaniel Lawerence Colchester hammered copper trade farthing

     

     

    1665 William Ferris of Colchester

     

    1665 William Ferris of Colchester hammered copper trade farthing with a William Moore bays maker back - Wrong dies used

    obv FWM with rev MWM ?

       

    17thC Vol Jacob baymaker Colchester hammered farthing- undated type

    Ref Norweb 1230

     

     

     

    0.75g


    Thomas Reynolds, bays maker of Colchester

     

    1666 Tomas Peeke of Colchester trade farthing

     

     

    Henry Lamb of Colchester trade farthing

     

     

     

    17thC Manningtree copper trade farthings

     

    1669 Manningtree - Carter Henry, surgeon (CHYRVRGEON) 'His halfpenny' hammered copper trade token

    Volume II - 1319a Barber/Surgeon

    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    1669 Manningtree - Carter Henry, surgeon (CHYRVRGEON) 'His halfpenny' hammered copper trade token

    Volume II - 1319a Barber/Surgeon

    1669 Manningtree - Carter Henry, surgeon (CHYRVRGEON) 'His halfpenny' hammered copper trade token

    Volume II - 1319a Barber/Surgeon

    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Esex hammered copper trade farthing

    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv I.E 1653

    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv I.E 1653

    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing 1653 Jeremy Erds of Manningtree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Thorpe le Soken copper trade farthing

    17thC George Nicholson hammered copper trade farthing - grocers, Thorpe le Soken Essex - not dated type

    17thC Joh Smith, chandler of Thorpe Le Soken Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv ISS

    Reg Norweb 1402

     

    Barking copper trade farthing

    1650 Nicholas Cler of Barking Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    1665 William Reeca of Barking Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv WRV

     

    Braintree copper trade farthing

     

    17th C William Osborne, baker of Braintree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Thomas Adbrooke of Braintree Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Norweb Ref 1109

     
    17th C Joseph Bott of Braintree Essex hammered copper trade farthing  

     

    Harwich copper trade farthing

     

    1666 John Rolfe of Harwich Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    1664 William Herbert of Harwich Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    1652 John Vanewall of Harwich Essex , (W/IM) hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Chelmsford copper trade farthings

    1660 Francis Arwaker of Chelmsford hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC Peter Robinson, grocer of Chelmsford Essex hammered copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Dedham copper trade farthings

     

     

    1656 Samuel Salter of Dedham copper trade farthing

     

     

    Joseph Gleson of Dedham copper trade farthing

     

       

     

    Nathaniel Backler of Dedham copper trade farthing

     

    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing
    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing
    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing
    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing
    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing

    Incorrect mulled Dedham trade farthing

    17thC Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv NB

    Rev DT

    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing 1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham Copper trade farthing
    1664 Dedham token - unrecorded type - Great find
    1666 Nathaniel Backler of Dedham hammered copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Sible Hedingham copper trade farthing

     

     
    1667 William Cant of Sible Hedingham hammered copper trade farthing

     17thC Thomas Hewes, of Hedingham Castle hammered trade farthing

     

    17thC Clacton copper trade farthings

     

    1664 William Munt of Clacton 0.92g

    Legend - MVCH CLAFTON IN ESSEX

    17thC Harwich copper trade farthings

    1652 John Vandewall of Harwich hammered copper farthing
    1664 William Hurbert of Harwich Essex hammered copper trade farthing
    1652 John Vanewall of Harwich Essex , (W/IM) hammered copper trade farthing
    1652 John Vandewall of Harwich Essex hammered copper trade farthing
     
    1652 John Vanewall of Harwich Essex , (W/IM) hammered copper trade farthing
     

     

    17thC Wivenhoe copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Falcon, Parker John of Wevenhoe ( Wivenhoe) Copper trade farthing

    P IM - Ref Norweb 1433

    17thC Coggeshall copper trade farthing

    17thC Francis Lay of Coggeshall Essex hammered copper trade half penny -

    Obv THIS FOR/HALF /A PENY

    Rev Swan

    Issuer died at the The Swan

    Ref Norweb 1149

    1670 William Guyon of Coggeshall Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Ref Norweb 1147

    17thC John Digby grocer of Coggeshall Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC Suffolk copper trade farthings

    1656 Ipswich hammered copper trade farthing - Nicholas Cooke
    17thC hammered copper farthing of James Warwell of Boxwell Suffolk draper

    17thC Ipswich hammered copper trade farthing

    James Story, grocer

    17thC Lancelot Felton , baker of Bergholt Suffolk hammer copper ½ penny token - undated type
    1670 Ipswich copper farthing
    17thC Thomas Burrough, grocer of Ipswich Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing - undated type
    Mid 17thC Mathew Halliet of Nayland copper hammered trade farthing - undated type
    1670 Ipswich copper farthing

    17thC Robert Terry of Ufford ,Grocer of Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing - RTM

     

    Very interesting unlisted 1654 John Ray of Sudbury (spelt SUDBBURY) Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing Norweb 4482 (1667)
    1685 John Burrough, Grocers of Ipswich Suffolk, hammered copper trade farthing Ref Noweb 4362a
    17thC Lancelot Felton , baker of Bergholt Suffolk hammer copper ½ penny token - undated type - Ref Norweb

    17thC Thomas Burrough, grocer of Ipswich Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing

    Obv TBA - GROCER*IN IPSWICH

    Norweb 4359

    1655 Thomas Hubbart, grocers of Long Melford Suffolk – hammered copper trade farthing. Norweb 4412a
    1652 Andrew Byat of Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing 1657 John Allen of Ispwich Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing

    Rare 17thC William Wilkinson of Ipswich hammered copper trade farthing - not in Norweb ref book.

    Just had a great ID in from Kai.

    Just looked in Norweb Volume 5 under Ipswich and it’s not there, and Michael Dickinson doesn’t price it, which generally means it’s a scarcer token.

    Can only find one example being sold at Noonans/DNW back in 2003, so think it’s fairly scarce.

    Apologies not more information, as not my specialty (Essex is the county I collect).

    Hope this is of interest.

    Kind regards,

    Kai

       

     

    17thC Lavenham copper trade farthing

     

    Mid 17thC John Girling of Lavenham Essex hammered copper trade farthing - undated type

     

    17thC Stratford St Mary copper trade farthing

     

    17thC copper trade farthing - John Candler of Stratford St Mary Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing

     

    17thC John Groome of Stoke by Nayland copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Groome, John of Stoke by Nayland, Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing

    Legend reads John Groome Stoke Nailon

     

    17thC Daniel Walker, grocer of Woodbridge copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Daniel Walker, Grocer of Woodbridge Suffolk hammered copper trade farthing

     

    Maldon copper trade farthing

     

    17thC James Robjent grocers of Maldon Essex hammered copper trade farthing

     

    17thC Dorset copper trade farthing

     

    1669 Weymouth Dorset - Francis Reed, Grocer, hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing Bridport Dorset, William Bull
     
    1667 Thomas Waterford of Marshfield Gloucestershire hammered copper trade farthing
     

     

    Bury St Edmunds copper trade farthing

     

     
    Bury St. Edmunds, Frances Smith 1666 farthing token:
    Obv: *FRANCES*SMITH around twisted wire inner circle, .*. 1666 .*. in three lines within.
    Rev: *IN.ST.EDMONDS.BVRY around twisted wire inner circle, IN SVF FOLK in three lines within
     

     

    Witham copper trade farthings

     

    1668 'His halfpenny' hammered copper trade token

    Richard Swinborne of Witham Essex

     

     

    17thC Romford copper trade farthings

     

    1651 Thomas Steevens of Romford Essex hammered copper trade farthing

    Ref Norweb 1354

     

    Unknown copper trade farthings

     

    ID'd it, It's a Jetton

     

    Johan Jacob Dietzel of Nürnberg who made this sometime between 1711 and 1748.

    Obverse "GEORG.DG.M.(.........)

    Reverse: "IOHAN(N.I)ACOB.DIETZEL.RECHP.COUNTERS"

     

    1666 hammered copper trade farthing

    17thC hammered copper trade farthing - not ID'd it yet

    Not listed WWM

    William Wade of Foster Lane, London. It could be one of 2 varieties, and I can’t be 100% sure which variety you have as it’s too worn. One variety (W1126) has no date, and the other (W1127) is dated 1661.

    Looking at the position of the word Lane, I am fairly sure this is W1127 (neither variety is listed in Norweb Volume 7), but not 100% certain.

    No examples of W1127 have come up at Noonans as far as I can see, and the BM doesn’t have an example either, can only find W1126 at the BM and in Noonans sale in 2020. Again unpriced in Dickinson (but for London, the majority of tokens are unpriced).

    Kai

    Hammered copper foreign coin - W - MAION- H ??
    1666 London hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC trade farthing - not checked the books yet
    17thC hammered copper 'His Half Penny' trade token

    Unknown 1667 His Halfpenny hammered copper trade farthing

    Rev RPM or RRM

    1667 'in Wavenham' hammered copper trade farthing

    , 'the token listed as “in Wavenham” is actually Lavenham, Suffolk. The token is of Nicholas Dansie, and an example is in the Norweb book, Vol 5, number N4393.

    Kai

    1666 hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    1653 hammered copper trade farthing 17thC 'His halfpenny' hammered copper trade half penny
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 1666 hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing Obv *NNARD OF SA** Grocer 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    1662 'His half penny' hammered copper trade half penny 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    1667 hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    1664 hammered copper trade farthing 1667 ' His half penny' hammered copper trade half penny
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 1663 hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC hammered copper trade farthing 17thC hammered copper trade farthing
    1680 hammered copper trade farthing 1662 hammered copper trade farthing
    17th C hammered copper trade farthing 17thC Colchester hammered copper trade farthing
    17thC Colchester hammered copper trade farthing 17thC Colchester hammered copper trade farthing
     
       

    17thC copper farthings

    The First British Copper Coin


    Under James I, copper farthings were produced. At first these were produced privately under licence from the Crown, first by Lord Harrington, then by Lennox.
    The licence changed hands several times, and privately issued copper farthings continued to be produced under Charles I.
    After Charles I got the chop, a copper farthing was issued by Oliver Cromwell, bearing his portrait.

    1614-25 James 1st hammered copper farthing Type 3c Mintmark key

    General type Obv. IACO D G MAG BR (IT)

    Rev. FRA ET HIB REX

    Mint condition pond silt find 1634 Charles 1st hammered copper Royal farthing - Richmond 4 beaded harp

    Obv CARO:DG:MAG:BRI

    Rev. FRA:ETHIB:REX

     

     

    Charles 1st hammered copper Royal farthings

     

    Charles 1st Royal farthing - Harp Type 3 Maltravers 'rounds' 1634- 36, woolpack mint mark

    obv CAROLUS D G MAG BRIT

    Rev FRAN ET HIB REX

     

    Charles 1st hammered copper Rose farthings

     

    1634 -36 Charles 1st Rose hammered copper farthing type 2

    Obv CAEOLU D G MAG BRIT

    Rev FRA ET HIBER REX