How Far Back Can We Go? Seventh Edition! Ended At 1380 Waiting On 1379

Very interesting contributions from all for 1796!


Not bad - these are quite uncommon.

This is what it looked like before revaluation:

France 1795-96 (year 4 in the revolutionary calendar), 2 decimes, Paris (A).

That is a splendid token!

Apparently "lunatic" was not just a layman's term as I thought, with "lunatic hospital" being part of the official name of this institution. You learn something new every day here at CCF.

Almost forgot!

Mexico (Spain)

1795-MoFM 8 Reales, heavily chopmarked

I will squeeze in this 1795 6 groszy of the Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth (the last year of their existence as a sovereign state):

Poland-Lithuania Commonwealth 1794 6 Groszy (Warsaw mint).

Really nice halfpenny tokens!

I'll stay on the other side of the Channel. Here is a one-of-a-kind coin: The first French decimal coin, but not yet in the franc system. It is 5/10 of a livre, since even though decimalization of the currency was introduced in 1793, the franc was not introduced until 1795. This is the only coin that was issued in between the old livre-sous-denier system and the new franc-(decimes)-centimes system. In addition, it is the first French commemorative coin (and the only one for almost another 190 years!)

France 1794 (year 2)*, 5 decimes, Paris (A), bronze 24.5 g.



The motive, a bit peculiar as it might seem, is from the memorial ceremony held 10 Aug 1793, one year after the storming of the Tuileries Palace, the event that led to the fall of the (by then constitutional) monarchy. The ceremony, called the "Festival of Unity and Indivisibility," had representatives from the government (the Convention) and the departments around France. It was held at the site of the torned down Bastille (where the revolution started 14 July 1789). A statue of the goddess Isis had been erected there, with water springing from her bust. The water was drunk under ceremonial forms, symbolizing the national regeneration.

As peaceful as it may seem, this coin was minted during the worst period of the French revolution, the Reign of Terror. Under the dictatorial leadership of Maximilien Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety, more than 16,000 death sentences were executed, before Robespierre himself was guillotined in July 1794.

* Year 2 in the revolutionary calendar lasted 22 Sep 1793-21 Sep 1794. The minting of this coin is however known to have begun in January 1794.

erafjel, I have never seen one of those before. That's truly amazing.

Here are a few nicer different 1794's. (Not posting ALL of them, it would take up pages, only the better looking sort)


1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Essex 38a
George, Prince of Wales (the future George IV)






1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Hampshire 70
Portsea






1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Dublin 255
Camac, Kyan & Camac / H(ibernian) M(ining) Co(mpany) cypher






1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Hampshire 13
Emsworth
Earl Howe & The Glorious First of June / Rule Britannia

This is technically one of many mules with Lutwyche's 'Earl Howe' obverse and a dozen or more different reverses.






1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Lancashire 58 (no stop after Commerce)
Lancaster, Daniel Eccleston
Boulton (Soho Mint)

This was the first token or coin to use this style of incuse-lettered wide rims; a style later used by Boulton for the 'Cartwheel' coins of 1797; which makes it popular with Conder token collectors, despite (or because of) it being a common, higher mintage issue.






1794 Halfpenny Token - D&H Suffolk 19
Blything, Loyal Suffolk Yeomanry
One of my nicest Uncirculated tokens

Erafjel - love the French coins, especially the 5 decimes!

I have a couple of French coins today but both are very worn! First is a Sol Aux Balances from the Lille Mint:

Same denomination from the Lyon Mint but with the value expressed as 12 decimes:

And from England, a halfpenny token from Leek in Staffordshire: