1/2 Penny Non-local - Great Britain / Commerce

The "Non-local" designation places this piece among the vast class of 18th and early 19th century British trade tokens issued by merchants, manufacturers, and industrialists to address the chronic shortage of regal small change — a shortage the Royal Mint had largely ignored for decades. By 1814, the Copper Company and other token issuers had been officially suppressed by the Token Act of 1817, meaning pieces struck in these final years were produced in the full knowledge that their legal circulation window was closing.

The Withers reference anchors this to a catalogued die pairing. Not all "Commerce" tokens of this type share consistent copper quality; batches from smaller contractors frequently show alloy inconsistencies.