My conder tokens

[Siberian Man]

Cheshire county.

[Figleaf]

Same as reply #15

Peter

[mrbadexample]

I bought this because of the erroneous apostrophe. But can anyone explain the hedgehogs? I've not been able to find out...
Thanks,
MBE

[Figleaf]

The edge of this token says CURRENT EVERY WHERE. Dalton and Hamer report off-metal strikes in silver and brass. That should make it clear that the objective was to deceive (the token was in fact not redeemable) and to sell the off-metal strikes to collectors, where the brass ones could be taken for gold when they were not yet tarnished.

All this not to argue that the token is not worthy of collecting (after all, it was intended for circulation), but rather that the design does not necessarily mean anything. Behind the boy is an instrument that could be a lot of things. As a collector, you may think it's the top of a screw press, unless you are into transport tokens and decide it's for opening a sluice door. So it is with the arms. At best, they may be the family arms of some clan that is totally innocent of issuing this coin - but if it is, chances are that D&H would have found the family. At worst it's a total fantasy.

As for whodunit, in view of the well executed design, I would bet on Kempson. He did anything for money, was a known seller to collectors and worked with noted engravers, including Wyon. I think the missing apostrophe is a filled die. Study the area with the highest magnification you have to see if there's a ghost image.

Peter

[mrbadexample]

I make this D&H 50a Peter. The edge reads "PAYABLE AT CLOUGHER OR IN DUBLIN".

The erroneous apostrophe is the presence, rather than the lack of it: "INDUSTRY HAS IT'S SURE REWARD".

But the hedgehogs? I can't find any reason for them. :/

[Figleaf]

Wasn't paying attention and assumed automatically it was 50. Sorry. Unfortunately, the edge doesn't change my conclusions, as all the edge texts are incompatible with BIRMINGHAM HALFPENNY and look spurious, while Kempson worked in Birmingham. The picture in Dalton and Hamer does show an apostrophe. Maybe the die without an apostrophe is the outlier?

Peter

[Figleaf]

This auctioneer seems to share my opinion that DH 50-50j are all Kempson's work.

Peter

[mrbadexample]

Wasn't paying attention and assumed automatically it was 50. Sorry. Unfortunately, the edge doesn't change my conclusions, as all the edge texts are incompatible with BIRMINGHAM HALFPENNY and look spurious, while Kempson worked in Birmingham. The picture in Dalton and Hamer does show an apostrophe. Maybe the die without an apostrophe is the outlier?

Peter

It might have helped if I'd given more details when I posted it. I haven't seen one without the apostrophe, but I meant that the apostrophe is grammatically incorrect rather than a minting error. It's intentional, but wrong.

Baldwins should know their stuff so I would agree that it's a Kempson product.