Token Coins
Token coins became a common practice in England during the early 19th century. With gold and silver in short supply, banks turned to ‘tokens’ – coins made of cheaper metal, or lighter weights, that were given a value. In many ways this was a prelude to the fiat economies that rule the world today. Rather than using paper these token coins were attributed a value, backed by a government body rather than precious metal.
The Peninsular campaign against France had been dragging on for several years, and invasion seemed a real threat to the people of England.
These tokens were often made of copper or brass, but silver examples do exist, as sold below. Don’t miss out on a chance to own these very unique parts of British coinage.