½ Penny Essex - Hornchurch / George Cotton ND
1795 year| Copper | 9.4 g | 28.1 mm |
| Issuer | United Kingdom (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) |
|---|---|
| Type | Token |
| Year | 1795 |
| Value | ½ Penny (1⁄480) |
| Currency | Conder tokens (1787-1797) |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | 9.4 g |
| Diameter | 28.1 mm |
| Thickness | 2.0 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Milled |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-10-08 |
| Numista | N#77171 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 89% |
Reverse
Castle on a crowned shield bearing legend, further legend around
Script: Latin
Lettering:
HORNCHURCH ROMFORD AND HAVERING
LIBERTY OF HAVERING ATTE BOWER
Engraver: Ponthon
Edge
Plain
Comment
George Cotton is reported to have been a corn factor but, in the case of this token, is thought to have been acting together with a number of other tradesmen in the Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower to repel an invasion of ‘paltry trash’ emanating from the London forgers. Cotton had written to Matthew Boulton (best known for producing the 'cartwheel' coinage at his Soho Manufactory in Handsworth, West Midlands) in June 1795 stating that 'having many soldiers, and barrucks building here' he wanted the tokens 'to see how they would take as a substitute for halfpence.' 10,563 tokens were despatched on 2nd October 1795, very nearly the smallest mintage of any of Boulton’s regularly issued tokens. They bear no date and no issuer’s name.Interesting fact
One interesting fact about the Token ½ Penny (Essex - Hornchurch / George Cotton) ND (1795) coin is that it was issued during a time of severe coinage shortages in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural areas. To address this issue, local merchants and traders began issuing their own tokens, like this one, which were accepted as currency by the community. This coin is a rare example of a privately issued token that was used as a substitute for official currency during that time.
Price
| Date | Mintage | VG | F | VF | XF | AU | UNC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ND (1795) | 10563 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for ½ Penny (Essex - Hornchurch / George Cotton) ND (1795) coin.
