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1/2 Penny Princeps Walliae - Delectat Rus
| Issuer | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of a male figure facing right, with laurel wreath or hair visible, occupying the central field. The portrait is rendered in a classical style typical of late 18th-century evasion token manufacture. A beaded inner border frames the design. The Latin legend PRINCEPS WALLIÆ (Prince of Wales) arcs around the upper periphery, referencing the title without depicting an officially sanctioned royal effigy. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | DELECTAT RUS |
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| Additional information |
This is a 18th-century copper token rather than a struck government issue — "Princeps Walliae" (Prince of Wales) pieces circulated widely during Britain's chronic small-change shortage of the 1780s and 1790s, when the Royal Mint's neglect of copper coinage left commerce to fend for itself through private and merchant tokens. The phrase "Delectat Rus" — roughly "the country delights" — places this among the pastoral series favored by certain token issuers of the period.
Atkins' 1892 reference work remains the standard attribution for these provincial and evasion pieces.