The Conder Token Thread

This is the coin that started it all for me. In 2011, I had been collecting coins for a short time, but had never heard of a Conder token.

I had been to England in 2005 for work and traveled to York on one of my free weekends. I had spent a foggy Sunday morning walking around the Shambles and ended up at York Minster. I had never been inside of a building this old. I wandered around fascinated by the sheer size and magnificence of the place. There were ornate alters, brightly painted tombs, 500 year-old tombstones on the floors and a 1,500 year old Roman stone coffin in the crypt. I was so captivated that I forgot to eat lunch and by 3 in the afternoon I was feeling faint.

I made it over to a pub a couple blocks away and had a few of pints of beer with my meal. After I finished eating I had about an hour to kill before catching a train back to Leicester. I went back over to the courtyard behind the minster and found a stone bench to sit on. By now it had started misting and the fog had returned. I sat there just staring up at this thousand year old gothic cathedral thinking about all the generations that had come and gone since it was built. I am not a religious person, and it was probably the pints I was feeling but there was just this immense sense of awe and peace that came over me. That is probably as close to a mystical experience as I will ever have.

Fast forward six years and I was looking on-line for some belated souvenirs to remind me of that trip. I was searching in Google images and there was this incredible coin on there. I figured it was either some type of modern issue for tourists or if the date of on the coin of 1793 was real this would cost me many hundreds of dollars. But after some searching I was surprised to learn that I could own a high-grade example of this coin for less than $150 and I bought one from Bill McKivor at the Copper Corner. Ever since then I have been hooked on collecting high-grade examples of these beautiful coins.

Nice coins Harry. Wish I had kept all the pieces I had some 30 years ago. I only saved one and it is an ugly duckling. The only reason I kept it was because of the error in the date, 1972 instead of 1792. What amazed me was that this piece was so heavily worn from use with a date on it that was 220+ years in the future. Guess few people looked at or kept coins back then.

Not rare at all, and very low cost . My only Conder token (1794). I've seen this one a few times in the past, and always found the satirical view of France at the time, as seen by the British, to be interesting. The French revolution (1789 - 1799) was a period of social and political turmoil in France. This Conder half penny token of 1794 references the French Revolution. The edge of the this variety has a milled design.


Obverse: "A MAP of FRANCE 1794": "HONOR" trodden under foot, "throne" turned upside down (instability), "FRA-NCE" divided, "RE/ LI/GI/ON" cut in pieces, "GLORY" defaced, "FIRE" (in the corners), and small kives forming a square around the center. And, as another attempt at satire, the date is even upside down.


Reverse: "MAY GREAT BRITAIN EVER REMAIN THE REVERSE", I'm guessing the meaning of this was that the British didn't want England to end up like the confusion in France.

Thanks for all of the wonderful tokens.

I especially like the satiric France token. That always reminds me of the giant foot that would come down and squash the titles on the opening theme of Monte Python's Flying Circus.

Keep 'em coming.

I have a couple dozen, but I'll start with my most recently acquired. This token (or strictly speaking, medalet) was issued in 1797 by Peter Kempson, as a part of his "London Buildings" series. The draw for me was the cartwheel like reverse with the broad raised band and the incuse lettering and date. The toning on this token is also stunning, with deep blues and rose, and surfaces that to my eye look like those of a modern day proof.

How do you know if a coin is a condor token?

For example I have

# 1 near dollar size copper
One side has male bust in Roman dress.

Other side has what looks like Britannia sitting on rock
With shield. Has a week word "Commerce" dated 1814

#2 near dollar size copper
One side "Token 1812" around that is "Cheadle copper & Brass company"
Other side "One Cent" Payable in London Cheadle and ?ATH

Right now I don't have pictures ... Just hoping for a opinion on if these
might be condor tokens.

Thanks for the information ....

Sorry about the spelling error

That penny is nice, any chance of a picture from a different angle?

Heres a coin I'm thinking of purchasing, it would cost me £18 to my door:


What do people think, worth it? I'm wondering how nice it will look in person (theres not much red left to it). I do like the East India Company logo on it though (even though its plain edged).