1 Penny Cheltenham - John Bishop and Co.

Reverse

A perspective view of St. Mary's Church in the distance, with a path (made by an avenue trees both sides) leading up to it; value in exergue. Beaded border

Script: Latin

Lettering: VALUE ONE PENNY

Edge

Central diagonal milling

Comment

In the 18th and 19th century, it wasn't unusual for regional businesses to issue their own 'coinage' when there was a shortage of actual currency. It is important to note, however, that tokens like this one weren't necessarily meant to replace government-issued coinage; although many of these tokens have a monetary value included on them, the intent was that they would be used towards purchasing goods from a specific retailer or merchant.

 Records show that John Bishop was a linen draper (cloth merchant) in London, but it is unclear when or why the business would have been moved to Cheltenham. It is an interesting token nonetheless. Because so many different merchants issued trade tokens with similar denominations and themes, most of them aren't very valuable unless they are in better condition. There is also a silver version of this token (one shilling denomination, with name of William Bastin and dated 1811).
 St. Mary’s church is the only surviving medieval building in Cheltenham; in the Domesday Book the church and its land were recorded as belonging to William the Conqueror's chancellor, Regenbald.

Interesting fact