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England - 1794

The Success

Obverse
Obverse:
An antique vessel with one mast and colours flying, drawn up on a beach. The design between crossed laurel branches.
Legend:
THE SUCCESS.
Size:
29 mm.
Edge:
PAYABLE AT IOHN SAWYER'S ROMNEY . X .
Reverse
Reverse:
Arms of the town of New Romney (Azure [this is shown as gules on the token] three lions passant guardant in pale or) [These are shown on the token as argent] with inverted and crossed sprigs behind the shield, shown as projecting above and on either side of it.
Legend:
ROMNEY HALFPENNY TOKEN. 1794

Vern's Comments:

As you can see D&H and Bell disagree over obverse and reverse. In any case a very pretty little token.

Edge:- PAYABLE AT IOHN SAWYER'S ROMNEY . X .
Diesinker, Wyon; manufacturer, Lutwyche. Two cwts. struck. Scarce.

 
Comments. John Sawyer was a freeholder with a business as a carpenter and joiner in Romney, which is in the lathe of Shepway and some eight miles from Hythe.
 
   The design and legend of the obverse is a mystery. Possibly it refers to the success of the ships of the men of Romney against a small part of the fleet of William the Conqueror. This victory later cost them dear when the Norman entered Kent by land.
 
   Romney was one of the Cinque Ports, and in the thirteenth century the " Royal Navy of the Cinque Ports " consisted of twenty-one ships from the western ports: Hastings six, Winchelsea ten, and Rye five: and thirty-six ships from the Eastern Ports: Dover twenty-one, and Hythe, Sandwich and 'Romney five each. These vessels were between twenty and forty tons and were merely coastal traders and fishing boats fitted up for war with a forecastle and an aftercastle, and a smaller one at the mast head. They were square rigged with a single sail, and carried twenty-one men and a boy. Sea fighting was little more than land fighting transferred to an uncongenial element.
 
   The life of Romney as an active Cinque Port virtually ceased with the great storm of 1287 when the sea flooded the area and huge deposits of silt ruined the harbour and changed the course of the river.
 
   The heraldic error in showing the field as gules when it should be azure is unfortunate, and such mistakes may cause difficulty; but as tokens were produced at competitive prices the artists were unable to spare the same time for research as was devoted to the production of high class medals. Nevertheless many tokens were very carefully executed.
Commercial Coins 1787-1804., pp. 78-79

England — Kent

D & H 38 — Romney

Bell Pg: 78-79
O:    Shield of arms of the town of Romney. ROMNEY HALFPENNY TOKEN 1794.
A. 36
R:    A small antique sloop. THE SUCCESS.
E:    PAYABLE AT IOHN SAWYER'S ROMNEY . X .
 John Sawyer, was a house carpenter and joiner.

Artist - WYON. Manufacturer - LUTWYCHE