Seventeenth Century Tokens of the British Isles and Their Values

First published in 1986, this catalogue is the first publication in over one hundred years to list all known significant types of the seventeenth-century series of token coinage issued in the British Isles between 1648 and 1679.

The tokens were primarily struck in copper or brass in denominations of farthings and half-pennies. Commonly, they were round but octagonal, square, and heart-shaped flans were also used. They offer a fascinating insight into life and trade, personal circumstances, and local history in the third quarter of the seventeenth century.

The catalogue lists about fourteen thousand different tokens, based on the numbering system used in G.C. Williamson's classic work Trade Tokens Issued in the Seventeenth Century (two volumes 1889, 1891). Many tokens have come to light since that date, and new entries have been inserted in the appropriate places using numbers with suffix letters. In places, over twenty per cent of the tokens listed are "new".

The tokens are described in an abbreviated, sufficiently detailed form to enable identification. Full indexes list token-issuing localities and also issuers whose tokens show no locality. Market values are given for specimens in fine condition, with a minimum price suggested for extremely rare pieces.

Four plates of illustrations show major types and shapes of tokens, and the additional three plates of line drawings of City Companies' arms are an invaluable guide to the heraldry that is featured on numerous pieces.

An indispensable catalogue for all collectors of the seventeenth-century token series, this book will also be of great interest and use to local history students and economists interested in the period.