1 Penny Token (D
& H 5 - Staffordshire, Stafford) |
 |
 |
| Obverse :- |
Similar to Staffordshire No. 2 but larger and with
the date 1803. |
|
| No. 2: |
Armorial bearings of the Town of Stafford. (A castle
triple-towered proper, between four lions passant gardant or.) The
tincture is not discernible on the token, and there should be a fifth
lion in base, and a mount vert, at the base of the castle. |
| No. 2 Legend: |
STAFFORD 1797 |
|
| Reverse :- |
Similar to Staffordshire No. 2 but with the legend
: -PENNY |
|
| No. 2: |
A cypher W H in ornamental script characters with
a flourish intended for a "Stafford Knot," but incorrectly
rendered. |
| No. 2 Legend: |
HALFPENNY. and a cross crosslet on either side. |
|
| Edge: |
PAYABLE BY HORTON AND COMPANY .+ +. |
|
| P. Wyon; manufacturer, unknown. Scarce. There
is a variant with a taller gateway, Davis 96, which is rare. |
| Size, 35 mm. |
| |
| Comments. Horton and Co. also issued a penny piece in 1803 with
the same designs, but with the change in date. This coin is notable as
being the last token issued with an edge inscription, and the last token
of this series issued in England. (There are later ones in Ireland.) The
1801 and 1803 Stafford tokens were issued in defiance of the Act of Parliament
in 1797 forbidding the striking and issuing of commercial coins, to support
the regal copper issues of 1797 and 1799. |
| Commercial Coins 1787-1804., pp. 162-163 |
| |
| Comments to No. 2: The cypher is the initial letters of William Horton,
a boot and shoe manufacturer in Stafford, and also a member of the town
council. |
| The obverse is supposed to present the armorial bearings
of Stafford, but Debrett states that the town Seal shows a fish naiant
instead of a lion in base, and the castle entrance appears portcullised
with the gates thrown open. |
| The Stafford knot, represented by the flourish beneath
the cypher, is the badge of the Stafford family, but it is incorrectly
rendered on the token. |
| Commercial Coins 1787-1804., pp.
161-162 |