British 17th Century Trade Tokens

Upper Shadwell [The Highway], E.E.W. y speaker frigat, Farthing, 1.23g/6h (N 8499a, this piece; BW. Middlesex 203). Weak in parts, otherwise fine, rare £150-£200

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The James Lamb Collection of 17th Century Tokens of the London Borough of Stepney.

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Collection

W. Gilbert Collection; Norweb Collection, Spink Auction 212, 28-9 March 2012, lot 646 (part) [from Baldwin]; bt Q.D.R. Archer November 2012.

The frigate Speaker, a third-rate 50-gun ship of the line built at Woolwich, was launched in April 1650. In a chequered history the vessel took part in the battles of Dover (May 1652), Dungeness (November 1652), Portland (February 1652/3) and Santa Cruz (April 1657). Following its role as part of the squadron escorting the exiled Charles II back to England in 1660, the vessel was renamed Mary and saw service at Tangier and Algiers in 1661, as well as at the battles of Lowestoft (June 1665), Schooneveld (May/June 1673) and Texel (August 1673). Unfortunately, the names of the ship’s commanders and commissioned officers during the period of the token’s circulation do not provide a match for the initals on it, the closest being a William Whitehorne, captain in 1658; perhaps the issuer was the ship’s quartermaster