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1 Penny Bristol - Patent Sheathing Nail Manufactory / S. Guppy
| Issuer | S. Guppy, Patent Sheathing Nail Manufactory |
|---|---|
| Year | 1811 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Withers#505, Davis#93 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse features a raised central circle enclosing the two-line inscription PENNY TOKEN in bold capital letters across the field. Surrounding this central medallion, within a beaded border, runs the circumferential legend PAYABLE BY S. GUPPY BRISTOL, with the date 1811 appearing in the lower segment of the legend. The overall design is plain and typographic in character, emphasizing the token's commercial and redeemable nature. |
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| Edge | Engrailed |
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| Additional information |
Samuel Guppy's Patent Sheathing Nail Manufactory produced copper nails specifically for fastening the copper sheathing applied to the hulls of Royal Navy vessels — a technology that had become standard practice after the 1780s to prevent marine fouling and shipworm damage. The business was substantial enough to warrant issuing its own trade token in 1811, a period when the chronic shortage of regal copper coinage left manufacturers across Britain with little choice but to produce their own.
Guppy's son, Thomas Richard Guppy, would later become a founding director of the Great Western Railway and a collaborator of Brunel.