The R C Bell Collection of British Trade Tokens

Yorkshire, Leeds, G.L. Chorley, 1913, gilt-copper, crest of an falcon surmounting a Cap of Maintenance, reverse HIS TOKEN FOR EXCHANGE, etc., 27mm (Bell A18). Small spot by E of EXCHANGE, otherwise brilliant and practically as struck, extremely rare (£50-70)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The R C Bell Collection of British Trade Tokens.

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Collection

6 struck.

Some of the details behind this interesting issue have been misinterpreted over the years, and are worth restating. In 1836 a Dr Chorley of Leeds had two dies engraved by Halliday of Birmingham for striking buttons for the livery of his coachman, the design being that of a falcon’s head on a Cap of Maintenance. One of these dies was utilized by his son, Gerald Lorenzo Chorley, at that time a member of the Yorkshire Numismatic Society who lived at 23 Lyddon Terrace, Leeds. G.L. Chorley had a new reverse die made in 1913 (probably by Restall) and struck 6 pieces in silver, 6 in gilt-copper, 25 in bright copper, 25 in bronzed copper, plus two uniface strikings in bright copper of obverse and reverse (YNS Transactions I, p.98 [1913]). Another gilt-copper specimen was in the Vorley collection (as part of lot 838)