Rowland Blaylock, Newcastle upon Tyne

[malj1]

Rowland Blaylock was in New Bridge Street about 500 Yards {800mtrs} past the goods station on the right side going toward Byker.

Penny - copper 30.7mm
Penny - scyphate - copper 30.8mm

both uniface

[Figleaf]

Interesting production technology. No idea how or why it was done.

Peter

[malj1]

The most likely reason is to prevent them being used as a penny in a slot machine.

[Figleaf]

Good thinking, Malcolm. It is amazing, though, that they would choose to produce a convex and a concave die, rather than cut off a part, making the flans lighter or heavier or using a different size, all of which would have been cheaper and maybe even more foolproof...

Peter

[malj1]

I think it would have been possible to convert all the old tokens to this shape.

[malj1]

Just acquired a shilling; 1^s/- uniface zinc 24mm

[malj1]

Just acquired a halfpenny; ½d bracteate tinned iron 19.5mm

Interesting abbreviation for Newcastle 'N/C' which could have been a puzzle unless you know of the company.

[Figleaf]

Are the other denominations also concave/convex?

Peter

[malj1]

I have only seen it with the penny denomination which does suggest its to stop it being inserted in machines such as weighing scales, platform tickets and those vending chocolate bars or cigarettes.

I remember these machines still being in place in the 1950s but, other than the weighing machines, these were inoperative after WW2.