Book Description

First published in 1986, this catalogue is the first publication in over one hundred years to list all known major types of the seventeenth century series of token coinage issued in the British Isles between 1648 and 1679. The tokens were mostly struck in copper or brass in denominations of farthings and half pennies. Commonly they were round, but octagonal, square and heart shaped flans were also used. They offer a fascinating insight into life and trade, personal circumstances and local history in the third quarter of the seventeenth century. The catalogue lists about fourteen thousand different tokens, based on the numbering system used in G.C. Williamson's classic work Trade Tokens Issued in the Seventeenth Century. (two volumes, 1889, 1891). Many tokens have come to light since that date and new entries have been inserted in the appropriate places using numbers with suffix letters. In places, over twenty percent of the tokens listed are 'new'. This is an indispensable catalogue for all collectors of the seventeenth century token series and will also be of great interest and use to local history students and economists interested in the period.