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1 Penny Worcestershire - Birmingham / Workhouse
| Issuer | Birmingham Workhouse |
|---|---|
| Year | 1812 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Penny (1⁄240) |
| 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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A heraldic shield occupies the centre of the field, quartered with a diagonal band and stylised design elements characteristic of the Birmingham municipal arms. The circular legend reads ONE POUND NOTE PAYABLE AT THE WORKHOUSE FOR 240 TOKENS, arranged in two arching lines above and below the shield, enclosed within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Central diagonal milling |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Birmingham's workhouse tokens of 1812 were issued during the height of the small-change famine that plagued Britain throughout the Napoleonic Wars, when the Royal Mint's near-total neglect of copper coinage forced parishes, manufacturers, and institutions to strike their own. The Birmingham Workhouse piece is unusual among institutional tokens — most workhouse-issued currency circulated only internally, redeemable against labour or goods within the institution itself, making surviving examples that entered general trade a minor anomaly.
The Withers and Davis references place this firmly within the documented provincial token series. At 28.54g it is heavier than most contemporary penny tokens, suggesting the issuer was deliberately signalling reliability to a population deeply suspicious of lightweight or debased private coinage.