World Tokens, the Property of a North Country Collector

Malta, Zeitun, church token valued at 1 Farthing, obv. ZEITUN with a beaded circle, rev. blank, but a beaded circle, aluminium, 21mm (Lyall 1073). Fine £20-£40

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, World Tokens, the Property of a North Country Collector.

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Provenance: Bt. Valenzie (Malta), 1985

Zeitun is a town in the east of the island some 4 1/2 miles from Valletta. In the parish church during the 1930’s there was a payment of 3/4 pence to be made for a chair. However, there was a shortage of farthings for change, so the church had these checks made which were good for a farthing in change. Their popularity was such that Zeitun shop keepers accepted them as they were readily redeemable by the church. After a few years, the civil authorities told the parish priest that the use of the checks as small change was illegal and so he had to withdraw them and their use was discontinued