Farthing - Dorset Lyme Regis / Town

Lyme Regis issued its own copper tradesman's tokens during the 1660s out of sheer necessity — the Crown had catastrophically failed to supply enough small change for everyday commerce, and merchants across England were left to improvise. Parliament had authorised private token issues in 1648, and by the Restoration the practice was widespread enough that thousands of distinct local types existed simultaneously. The Lyme Regis civic issue is unusual in being attributed to the town itself rather than an individual tradesman, suggesting a degree of municipal coordination rare among provincial issuers of this period.