1 Penny

1788 year


Copper	13.38 g	32 mm

Description

Issuer	Barbados
King	George III (1760-1820)
Type	Token
Year	1788
Value	1 Penny (1⁄240)
Currency	Pound sterling (1627-1970)
Composition	Copper
Weight	13.38 g
Diameter	32 mm
Thickness	2 mm
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	Yes
Updated	2024-10-04

References

Numista	N#23775
Rarity index	49%

Reverse

Large pineapple, date below

Script: Latin

Lettering:
BARBADOES · PENNY
· 1788 ·

Engraver: John Gregory Hancock

Edge

Plain

Comment

Sir Philip Gibbs, owner of the Gibbs plantation, arranged for one and a half hundredweight of these pieces to be struck. The first dies were engraved by J. Milton of the Royal Mint and Hocking, p. 314, believes the pieces were struck at the the Royal Mint. It would seem that they were not an official product of the Royal Mint but a private parcel struck by one of the engravers. This example is from a second circulation issue with dies and manufacture thought to be by J.G. Hancock, Birmingham. The second issue has a characteristic weakness on the second 'A' of BARBADOES. Gibbs tokens are often catalogued as 'Token Coinage' as they achieved widespread circulation throughout Barbados.

Interesting fact

Did you know that this coin was actually a token coin issued by a private company, the Barbados Company, in 1788? It was not issued by the government, but was still widely accepted as a form of payment on the island. This coin was made of copper and had a unique design, featuring an image of a sailing ship on one side and the company's initials on the other. It was worth one penny, which was a significant amount at the time. Despite being a token coin, it is still considered a valuable collector's item today, with some examples selling for thousands of dollars.