Distracted By Lady Godiva

It's not a rare token but is quite collectable in that condition. I've got one that's much more worn.

These halfpennies exist dated 1793, 1794 and 1795 and there are lots of varieties.

As these tokens are probably most widely collected in the UK, and especially in the Midlands (many collectors specialize in tokens from their county or area), I'm not surprised that very few have been slabbed. Slabbed coins of any kind are still quite a rarity in the UK.

NumisRob,

In the hour or two since our exchange, curiosity ate away at me. You wrote "I've got one that's much more worn." Will you indulge me to know what's written on the edge of yours?

Kevin

yours is D the PCGS verification says so it would say Payable at London or Anglesey

What was the grade?

In British Grading that PCGS 40 , is no better than
GVF .
These are popular to collect but are hardly rare .
There are currently 19 listed on ebay with several
nicer ones .
If you ever visit Coventry , the Lady Godiva statue is
Prominently displayed in the Town Square , near the
Famous Coventry Cathedral ruins .

@pacificoin I thought gFine was the equivalent of US EX-40 and gVF was AU-50 to 53

Kcm - very sorry, just looked at this thread again and realised that you'd asked me a question that I never answered. Well, the edge on my 1792 Coventry halfpenny is "Payable at the Warehouse of Robert Reynolds & Co".

I would reiterate my earlier statement that the vast majority of these Coventry halfpennies are probably reposing in the collections of specialist token collectors in the UK, and it's highly unlikely that any British collector would send a trading token to a TPG.

Thank you nss-52!

NumisRob-

That was kind of you. In younger days, knowing no better, I purchased and stored an extensive British collection. Now, in retirement, its coins and I are introducing each to the other. I've found that intervention by a third party familiar with my newcomer eases my path. Know, therefore, that you're appreciated in my encounter with Lady Godiva.

I base stories on my limited knowledge and tell them to myself. This somehow propagates further knowledge for me. My fictional sections require glue until I can replace them with fact. Itold myself a heavily glued story on this "trading token." I love this new - to me - term. It fits into my story, neither adding stuff nor omitting fodder.

My story begins not with trading tokens, but rather "coin of the realm," George III's realm. I own a goddawful cartwheel (32 mm.) penny and halfpenny. You know of what I speak, rounded slabs of pure copper. I'm told these were required to restore faith in a realm plagued by counterfeiting. These, I'm sure, never have been and never will be counterfeited—too costly to fashion.

Next chapter: Not just the Crown but also the mercantile sector had to have been similarly plagued. I glued the idea of rampant 1793 mercantile distrust into place. Merchants resorted to having trustworthy currency minted (ergo "trade tokens, not "coins"). Distrust reached beyond the door of the private mint. One never knows - do one? What sort of deal offered by one's competitor might have tempted the minter to shave value from his product? I glue in the assertion merchants poured honor into their tokens and that most tokens were honored. Still, I perceive a swell of ease in a merchant's heart when the species paid for goods or services was his own mintage attested to by the rim.

Epilogue: If much of what I glued to my story is in fact, it makes these - on surface identical -- trade tokens as different - some from some others - as are pennies and cents.

Kevin