18th Century British Trade Tokens

Shropshire, Coalbrook Dale, Reynolds & Co, Halfpenny, 1792, ship sailing under bridge, legend within inner circle, rev. man working at inclined plane, edge birmingham redruth & swansea followed by alchemical symbols for the seven planetary metals, 13.44g/6h (DH – [9-13 obv., rev. unlisted]; Farnell, SCMB 1959, p.210, DH 8 bis, this piece). Good fine, dark patina, of the highest rarity £100-150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Late Robinson S. Brown Jr Collection.

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Provenance: J.R. Farnell Collection, Part II, Sotheby Parke Bernet Auction (New York), 26 May 1982, lot 13 (part); bt J.A. Bobbe July 1982.

This interesting piece replicates the edge of the unique DH 5 halfpenny (David Spence Collection, lot 1642) in a die-pairing that was apparently unknown as a regular Reynolds issue in Farnell’s day, but is now known from at least two specimens with the coalbrook-dale edge (see DH 8 bis in next lot)

The dies are DH 11 but the edge is unlisted