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Farthing - Kent Hythe / J. Bassett
| Issuer | J. Bassett, Hythe, Kent |
|---|---|
| Year | 1670 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse lettering | IOn · BASSETT · HIS · HALF · PENNY · ♦ B ♦ I ♦ T 1670 |
| Reverse description | At the centre of the reverse, within an inner beaded circle, is a heraldic shield bearing the Arms of the Worshipful Company of Grocers — depicted as a crowned shield charged with nine cloves arranged in three rows — rendered in low relief. The shield is surmounted by a crown, consistent with standard armorial trade token conventions. A Latin legend encircles the beaded border, identifying the place of issue as Hythe in Kent. The design is typical of the English 17th-century tradesman's token series, where guild arms were commonly employed to denote the issuer's trade affiliation. |
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| 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.