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1/2 Penny Wiltshire - Salisbury / J. and T. Sharpes
| Issuer | J. and T. Sharpes, Salisbury |
|---|---|
| Year | 1796 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | DH#21, Atkins#20 |
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|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The arms of the Grocers' Company are displayed centrally, featuring a shield charged with a chevron and lozenges, surmounted by a camel passant as crest, and supported on either side by two winged griffins rampant. A ribbon scroll below the shield bears the motto GOD GRANT GRACE in three segments, while the commercial legend FINE TEAS &c arcs across the upper field. The date 1796 appears prominently in the exergue below the supporters, the whole framed by a beaded rim. |
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| Reverse lettering | FINE TEAS &c GOD GRANT GRACE 1796 |
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| Additional information |
The Sharpes token is one of dozens issued by Salisbury tradesmen during the 1790s copper famine, when the Royal Mint's chronic failure to produce adequate regal coinage left provincial commerce running almost entirely on privately struck pieces. Parliament had effectively tolerated the situation for over a decade by the time this token circulated, knowing prosecution of issuers would have seized up retail trade entirely. The Cronebane and Anglesey mining interests that drove the earlier token boom had already demonstrated the model was viable.
Soho Mint products dominate the better-struck Wiltshire pieces; whether the Sharpes commissioned through Boulton's operation or a lesser diesinker remains unresolved in the standard references.