British Tokens

The co-operative movement, which expanded rapidly after originating in Rochdale in 1844, was based on the concept that its profits were returned to the members in the form of a dividend, calculated as a proportion of each pound spent. The dividend could not be declared until accounts were made up, and it was not easy to keep track of every member’s spending in the meantime. A solution was to give an equivalent face value in tokens with every purchase. When the dividend was declared, all tokens brought in were exchanged at the dividend rate. The redeemed tokens could then be issued again. Many tokens were issued with the value expressed in terms of the goods themselves, such as bread or 1/4 lb. of tea rather than a monetary value.

The Union Copper Works was started at Danygraig, Risca, just north of Newport in South Wales and it existed for just ten years. Its trading offices were listed as Congreve Street in Birmingham. The location of the works was a good one with a nearby colliery supplying small coal which was otherwise unsaleable and the newly opened Sirhowy tramroad providing access to a supply of limestone and clay, whilst ore could be brought in on the newly built Monmouthshire canal. At its peak between 1811-1815 the output was around 34 tons per week but the works closed abruptly in 1816 most likely due to the declining demand and price of copper which was falling off at the end of the war against France and the works were offered for sale in 1817. These large copper One Penny Tokens were issued in 1812 and show clasped hands and the date below with the legend UNION COPPER COMPANY BIRMINGHAM around the outside and they grade Very Fine.

Warwickshire, Birmingham, Bigg's Halfpenny Token Obverse: Bust to right Reverse: Three lions rampant Edge: BIRMINGHAM W. HAMPTON OR LITCHFIELD Uncirculated (D&H 71a)

We have another copper token, this time issued by John ‘Iron Mad’ Wilkinson. John Wilkinson was born in 1728, the son of Isaac Wilkinson, a furnace worker. John also worked at the foundry and learned from an early age the science of working with metals. He rose through the ranks up to the management of a number of ironworks until he eventually entered into partnerships with his own furnaces in various locations in Shropshire where he was also one of the main driving forces in the building of the famous Iron Bridge over the river Severn at Broseley. He, too, saw the opportunities from issuing his own tokens to use as a form of payment but also for self-advertising. So much so, he even had his own portrait stamped on the coins with the words JOHN WILKINSON, IRON MASTER. He issued three main types of token and we can offer two of them here, they both have his effigy on the obverse and on the reverse a different forge scene.

Long before Coincraft had a shop on Great Russell Street, there were other coin dealers located there. This is a brass advertising token struck by William Webster, dealer in Ancient and Modern Coins, Medals & Antiquities at 7 Great Russell Street (although his address was actually no.17). As it states on these tokens, Webster was the successor to William Till who is recorded as a ‘curiosity’ dealer at 17 Great Russell Street in 1832. Till died in 1834 so William Webster, who was Till’s Nephew, ran the business from then on until his death in 1885 and these tokens were struck in the period from 1851-1885. These are very scarce tokens in wonderful condition but we only have a few available to lucky collectors. The last time we offered even one example for sale was 10 years ago at £75.

Woolwich Barracks was the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Artillery from 1776 until 2007 when it was relocated to Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire, housing at its peak as many as 4,000 personnel. The soldier’s mess was an essential part of any barracks and provided food, drink, and a chance to socialise. These ‘Canteen Tokens’ are wonderful pieces of that history dating from around 1850 when Gregory Browne obtained a concession from the Royal Artillery to operate canteens at the barracks. These are quite large 34mm tokens struck in bronze with GREGORY BROWNE TENANT BY APPOINTMENT OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT and the arms of the Royal Artillery in the centre on one side and ROYAL ARTILLERY CANTEEN WOOLWICH on the other side. Usually, they are stamped with a number in the centre, probably indicating a table number, but others have no number on them. All of these would have been used daily by the service personnel as their meal pass at the time and are quite scarce so are available in very limited numbers.