Great Britain - 1791

½ Penny Token

(D & H 66 - Lancashire, Liverpool)
Obverse - Great Britain - 1791 Reverse - Great Britain - 1791
Obverse - A ship afloat under canvas with crossed laurel branches beneath.
Legend: LIVERPOOL HALFPENNY
Reverse - Arms of the Borough of Liverpool. (Argent, a cormorant sable, beaked and legged gules. [Incorrectly shown on the token with wings indorsed, and as proper, instead of sable. The minor points of the correct tinctures of the beak and legs could not be shown on a design of this scale] holding in the beak a branch of seaweed called laver, inverted vert), and Crest: (A cormorant with wings indorsed sable, beaked and legged gules, in his beak a sprig of laver vert). The shield garnished with an inner beaded line, and placed between crossed bullrushes.
Legend: The Motto of the Arms of Liverpool described above DEUS NOBIS HAEC OTIA FECIT 1791
Edge:- PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF THOMAS CLARKE .xx.
Diesinker, Hancock; manufacturer, Hancock. There is a similar token dated 1792. In all over ten tons of Clarke's tokens were struck. Common.
 
Comments. Thomas Clarke was a grocer living at 12, Cable Street, and had a warehouse at No.4, Marshall Street, off Lord Street. A few years later he lived at Chidwall and is mentioned in an election squib of 1796 when he supported one of the parliamentary candidates, Col. Isaac Tarleton.
 
   ". ..strayed, or otherwise conveyed from the barren hills of Chidwall, a young pup-dog of the Lilliputian breed, commonly called or known by the name of Isaac. The said dog was marked in the heel at Dunkirk Races, and wears a red collar. Whoever will give information to Mr. Tom Clarke where he may be found will receive a reward of a basket of fine cabbage and a barrel of excellent bull beef."
 
   Dunkirk Races refers to the disastrous British campaign of 1794 in Flanders where Col. Tarleton was wounded in the heel.
 
   Pye states that Kempson made five tons of forgeries of Clarke's token, and other manufacturers also seem to have taken part in this free for all. The total of the imitations probably exceeded the ten tons of the genuine article.
Commercial Coins 1787-1804., pp. 85-86
 
D & H 66 - Liverpool Halfpenny
O: The masthead to last limb of L.
R: The upper two flags to right point to E.
E:
 
PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF THOMAS CLARKE .X.