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3 Pence Worcestershire - Birmingham / Workhouse
| Issuer | Birmingham Workhouse |
|---|---|
| Year | 1813 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| 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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| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | BIRMINGHAM 1813 THREE PENCE |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | ONE POUND NOTE FOR 80 TOKENS PAYABLE AT THE WORKHOUSE |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Birmingham's parish workhouse system operated under chronic fiscal pressure in the early nineteenth century, and by 1813 the national copper coinage was so deficient in circulation that institutions like the Birmingham Workhouse resorted to issuing their own tokens to pay inmates for piecework and to manage internal transactions. This piece is among the heavier copper workhouse tokens documented — 66.7 grams places it well above most contemporary trade tokens, a deliberate choice to represent genuine copper value rather than mere fiduciary convenience.
Recorded by both Withers and Davis, it sits in a well-catalogued but thinly traded corner of the token series.