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England - 1801

Horton and Company

Obverse
Obverse:
Similar to Staffordshire No. 2 but larger and with the date 1801.
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.
Legend:
No. 2 Legend: STAFFORD 1797
Size:
35 mm.
Edge:
PAYABLE BY HORTON AND COMPANY .+ +.
Reverse
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.
Legend:
No. 2 Legend: HALFPENNY. and a cross crosslet on either side.

Vern's Comments:

P. Wyon; manufacturer, unknown. Scarce. There is a variant with a taller gateway, Davis 96, which is rare.

 
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


England — Staffordshire

D & H 3 — Stafford

Bell Pg: 162-163
O:    The arms of the borough of Stafford (a castle and four lions). STAFFORD 1801.
A. 2
R:    The cypher W H and a Staffordshire knot. PENNY.
E:    PAYABLE BY HORTON AND COMPANY .+ +.
 

Horton and Company

obverse

Horton and Company

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