JeandAcre Posted June 3 · Member Share Posted June 3 ...Versus the more usual farthings, ranging from the Protectorate (early 1650s) to the early years of the Restoration (c. 1669). The dealer, on UK ebay, gave me a discount that was magnanimous enough to summarily dispatch my already peripheral reservations. I'm very curious to find out what a halfpenny looks like in hand! The only other reservation I had was the 1668 date; predating the really wild years of Pepys' diary, and England more generally. ...The Plague of 1665-6; the Great Fire of London; and Pepys' amorous adventures, sometimes leading to physical exchanges of a different kind with his wife, which (to his credit???) she often won. (Along the lines of him spending the night on the sofa, nursing his bruises.) More generally, for the early Restoration, 1668 is all anyone really needs. One thing that sets this off is the terrific contrast between the legends. From the almost quasi-liturgical 'GOD PRESERVE OVR GRACIOVS KING,' to the no less mundane 'HIS HALFE PENY FOR NECESSARY CHAING.' Nope, with the further adventures in early Modern English spelling, I'm needing all of this. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuntbedruv Posted June 5 · Member Share Posted June 5 The extensive and wide-ranging series of 17th century 'traders tokens' are a fascinating insight into the lives and times of ordinary Commonwealth and Restoration Britons. They are an incredibly informative resource which fleshes out the lives of ordinary folk in a really meaningful way, especially when combined with other sources of documentary evidence (e.g. parish registers, marriage licences, legal records etc). One can even still visit the buildings their issuers worked and lived from. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benefactor KenDorney Posted June 5 · Benefactor Benefactor Share Posted June 5 I only recently got interested in tokens outside of the usual Conder series. Here are a couple odd denomination Irish tokens, one from Dublin, the other I havent tracked down yet but they are 21-23mm so close to the size of a farthing but heavier: I only have these books at the moment. Many are long out of print and difficult to locate. Any suggestions? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Conduitt Posted June 5 · Supporter Share Posted June 5 I have a couple of these. This is dated 1666 and I posted another in your post on farthings. I don't know if that's before or after the fire, but Ratcliff and Wapping (both in Stepney) were semi-rural at the time so well away from the flames. Ratcliff didn't escape fire, though, as a boat of saltpetre accidentally ignited there in 1794 destroyed 400 homes, the biggest fire since 1666 and until the Blitz. Rich Stiles Halfpenny Token, 1666 London. Copper, 18mm, 1.85g. Ratcliff, Rich Stiles, Halfpenny, 1666. *RICH.STILES.AT.YE.WHITE around a lion. HIS HALF PENY *IN.RATCLIFF.1666:.:.: (BW 2367). 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted June 7 · Patron Share Posted June 7 I've grown to enjoy these more than the Conder series. I don't really purchase many but will when one crosses my path. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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