© kristacollins
© kristacollins
Farthing - Berkshire Reading / Thomas King
1666 year| Copper | - | 15 mm |
| Issuer | England (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) |
|---|---|
| King | Charles II (1660-1685) |
| Type | Token |
| Year | 1666 |
| Value | 1 Farthing (1⁄960) |
| Currency | English Trade Tokens (1648-72) |
| Composition | Copper |
| Diameter | 15 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Hammered |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Demonetized | 1672 |
| Updated | 2024-10-08 |
| Numista | N#385046 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 95% |
Reverse
Issuers initials within inner circle, legend around.
Script: Latin
Lettering:
IN · READING · l666
· T · K ·
Comment
Traders' tokens formed an illegal 'money of necessity' and were issued in England, Wales, and Ireland in the seventeenth century. They were the small change of the period, and were extremely useful to the people who issued and used them. They would never have been issued but for the indifference of a Government to a public need and their issue forms a remarkable instance of a people supplying their own needs by an illegal issue of coinage, and in this way forcing a legislature to comply with demands and requests at once just and imperative.Interesting fact
One interesting fact about the Token Farthing - Berkshire (Reading / Thomas King) 1666 from England (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) made of Copper is that it was issued during a time of great economic turmoil in England, known as the "Great Recoinage" of 1666. This coin was one of many tokens issued by private traders and local authorities to address a shortage of small change, as the official royal mint was not producing enough coins to meet the demand. The Token Farthing was valued at one-fourth of a penny and features an image of a crown on one side and the initials "T.K." on the other, representing Thomas King, the issuer of the coin. Despite its humble value, the Token Farthing is now a highly sought-after collector's item among numismatists due to its historical significance and rarity.
