1792 Condor Token Info

Your token might be a contemporary forgery.

Bell lists a Liverpool halfpenny with these designs but a different edge inscription. The badge and motto are from the arms of Liverpool. Bell gives the edge inscription as PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF THOMAS CLARKE, but the image in his book has a token dated 1791, just mentioning one for 1792 in passing.

Thomas Clarke was a grocer, living at 12 Cable Street, with a warehouse at 4 Marshall Street. He had ten tons of these tokens struck by Hancock.

Forgery of these tokens was rife, because it was not an offence against the state. Bell mentions one forger alone making five tons of copies of Clarkes tokens, and suggests that all the forgeries of the original amount to more than the original ten tons.

Many token manufacturers reused dies for other customers creating numerous mules, sometimes just varying the edge inscriptions.

The Token Book, published 2010, only states "various edges", giving dates from 1791 to 1794.

Your token seems to lack a crispness of the design compared to tokens in my possession. My first thought was that yours was cast, but looking at the edge I think not.

Given the differing edge and the lack of crispness, I suspect yours is a contemporary forgery. If anyone has better info, I would love to hear it.