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1/2 Penny Wicklow - Cronebane / Miners Arms
| Issuer | Associated Irish Mine Company (Cronebane) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1789 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central shield of arms associated with the Associated Irish Mine Company, divided into quarters and charged with mining implements including crossed picks, shovels, and an anchor at the base point, surmounted by a mine-head or winding gear as a crest above the shield. The date 17 89 is divided and placed in the field to the left and right of the shield respectively. The circumferential legend ASSOCIATED IRISH MINERS ARMS runs around the full periphery of the reverse field. |
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| Edge | Lettered |
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| Additional information |
The Associated Irish Mine Company operated the Cronebane copper mines in County Wicklow, and by the late 1780s the chronic shortage of small change in Ireland had made paying workers in exact coin nearly impossible. The company issued these halfpennies as a practical wage token — redeemable at the company truck shop, and almost certainly never intended to circulate widely. That they did circulate is evidenced by worn survivors throughout Wicklow and Dublin.
Cronebane was one of the most productive copper mines in the British Isles at the time, producing ore that fed the smelters at Swansea. The mine's own copper almost certainly ended up in these tokens.