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Farthing - Kent Hythe / J. Bassett
| Issuer | J. Bassett, Hythe, Kent |
|---|---|
| Year | 1670 |
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| Currency | English Trade Tokens (1648-72) |
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| Obverse description | Within an inner beaded circle, the merchant's initials appear above the date, serving as the central device of the field. A continuous Latin legend encircles the beaded border, naming the issuer and denomination. The lettering reads IOn · BASSETT · HIS · HALF · PENNY · with the initials B, I, and T flanked by lozenge stops, and the date 1670 completing the legend. The overall design is characteristic of mid-17th-century English provincial trade tokens, with simple, bold lettering typical of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | 1670 |
| Additional information |
Hythe was among the original Cinque Ports, and by the 1660s its merchants were issuing copper tokens in direct response to a chronic shortage of official small change — the Crown had effectively abandoned regal copper coinage between 1644 and 1672, leaving tradesmen across England to plug the gap themselves. Bassett's 1670 piece is part of that broader explosion of provincial token coinage, with thousands of issuers operating simultaneously across England and Wales during this decade.
The series was killed by royal proclamation in 1672, when Charles II finally introduced a regal copper farthing. Most trade tokens were called in and melted; survivors like this one escaped by chance.