19th Century Essex Fruit Pickers Token

Issued by Thomas May of Whitehouse Farm, Woodham Walter, Essex, these bronze One Penny tokens were issued daily to fruit pickers in return for labour based on the amount of fruit picked. They could be cashed up at the end of each day or week, depending on how long the worker was likely to be employed or, in some cases, the tokens were accepted as currency in local shops. These tokens are undated but originate from around 1880, records show that Whitehouse Farm was sold by auction in 1888. These tokens are now scarce and grade very fine.