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Half-penny token

Description

A copper-alloy half-penny token, dated 1792 the obverse bearing a bust of Shakespeare possibly derived from the Chandos portrait. The reverse shows Vulcan with hammer and anvil. Vulcan is possibly shown in the guise of Shakespeare., These tokens (local and non-local) passed irregularly as currency when the copper coinage was insufficient in the last quarter of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century.

  • Marks & inscriptions

    inscription : : obverse : : Warwickshire, inscription : : reverse : Shakespeare as Vulcan :, inscription : : reverse : : Halfpenny 1792, inscription : : around edge : : Payable in Anglesey, London or Liverpool. x,

  • Credit line

    CC-BY-NC-ND Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust