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1/2 Penny Gustavus Adolphus - Britain Rules
| Issuer | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | 1771 |
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| Currency | Evasion tokens (1751-1797) |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing draped bust of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, occupying the central field, rendered in low relief in the style typical of mid-18th-century British evasion tokens. The portrait features a laureate or plain head with the neckline truncation visible at the lower field. The circumferential legend reads GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS, disposed around the upper and lower periphery of the coin. The overall design deliberately echoes the style of contemporary regal British halfpennies to serve as a circulating evasion piece, exploiting the legal loophole that prohibited only exact copies of the king's likeness. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This is a merchant token, not a regal issue — struck privately during the chronic small-change shortage that plagued Britain through the mid-to-late 18th century, long before the Copper Coinage Act of 1797 brought official relief. The Royal Mint had simply failed to produce sufficient low-denomination copper to meet everyday commercial demand, leaving traders, tavern keepers, and manufacturers to commission their own tokens from private diesinkers. The Gustavus Adolphus series belongs to this broad tradesman token tradition, though its specific issuing merchant remains difficult to pin down with certainty.