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1/2 Penny Cornwal Lis Ind - British Tars
| Issuer | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 1797 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 27 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Britannia seated to the left, holding a trident and resting upon a shield, in close imitation of the contemporary regal halfpenny reverse type. The patriotic legend BRITISH TARS is disposed around the periphery, with the date 1797 placed in the exergue. The overall design constitutes a deliberate evasion piece, subtly altering the standard Britannia motif and substituting a non-regal legend to avoid the legal penalties associated with outright counterfeiting. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
This is an 18th-century British trade token, not a regal issue — produced during a period when the Royal Mint had so catastrophically neglected copper coinage that private merchants, industrialists, and county associations filled the void themselves. The so-called "token mania" of the 1787–1797 period saw thousands of distinct types struck, mostly by Birmingham diesinkers, to keep small commerce functioning. Atkins 70 places this piece within the Cornwall series, likely circulating in the tin and copper mining districts where regal halfpennies were essentially absent from daily trade.