(sold for $8.0)

1813, Great Britain, Essex, Walthamstow.  Copper Halfpenny Token Coin. VF

Mint Year: 1813 Reference: Withers 610, Davis 39. Condition: A nice VF with a few scratches! Denomination: Halfpenny Token - British Copper Company, Essex, Walthamstow, UK. Material: Copper Diameter: 29mm Weight: 8.92gm

Obverse: British lion standing left. Date (1813) below, value in worlds ("HALFPENNY") above. Reverse: Britannia   seated left within oak wreath.

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From the 17th to the early 19th century in the British Isles and North America tokens were commonly issued by merchants in times of acute shortage of coins of the state to enable trading activities to proceed. The token was in effect a pledge redeemable in goods but not necessarily for currency. These tokens never received official sanction from government but were accepted and circulated quite widely.

In England the production of copper farthings was permitted by royal license in the first few decades of the 17th century, but production ceased during the English Civil War and a great shortage of small change resulted. This shortage was felt more keenly because of the rapid growth of trade in the towns and cities, and this in turn prompted both local authorities and merchants to issue tokens.