North Wales, DH 1b • 1793 Druid/RNG Cypher halfpenny token.

This is my first Conder token from North Wales. Parys Mine and Mona Mine were located at Parys Mountain. Major smelting operations were conducted at Anglesey and access to the North Sea was located at the harbor at Amlwch. You can use google Earth to view the area and a lot of photos. Just type in Parys Mountain.

The strip mine, lodes, veins, mine shafts and tunnels at Parys Mountain were part of a vast mining operation that dominated the world's copper markets for many years. The fine copper produced brought £5 more per tone than copper from other sources, due to it's high purity after a series of calcining operations.

http://www.angleseymining.co.uk/ParysMou....%20pamphlet.htm

From the refined copper, 250 tons of one penny tokens were produced and 50 tons of halfpence, or halfpenny tokens. Surely most of the Conder Tokens ever produced were struck in copper mined at Parys Mountain.

 The edge lettering on my token reads: PAYABLE IN LONDON BRISTOL & LANCASTER • X •

I'd estimate the grade on this raw token at MS-64.

Hi Larry, nice one!!

Can you help attribute my druid?


Thanks




* X *Payable in ANGLESLY  LONDON OR LIVERPOOL 

Hi, Stef...

With hundreds of varieties of Druids, they are not easy to exactly attribute, even using DH or other reliable guide.

There were 87 varieties of 1788 Druid halfpennies struck for Anglesey, all with quite similar reverses. Fortunately, all of my Druids, save one, came with attribution already.  It could take days to identify one exactly at my stage, but I'll try...

Wow. It only took 15 minutes or so using D&H, and I believe I have isolated your variety, which can be described as follows:

• 27 acorns -- two single acorns to left of bow/tie and double and single acorns to right of bow/tie (13 left and 14 right)

• 1 in date points between N's in HALFPENNY

• 8 in date points between T and H in THE

Your halfpenny appears to be Wales, Anglesey DH 274. 

The edge lettering is common to most all of the halfpenny tokens dated 1788.

The token is rated Common.

It only took another half hour to double check my work and type the post.  That included 10 minutes correcting my typos.

Hi, Stef...

With hundreds of varieties of Druids, they are not easy to exactly attribute, even using DH or other reliable guide.

There were 87 varieties of 1788 Druid halfpennies struck for Anglesey, all with quite similar reverses. Fortunately, all of my Druids, save one, came with attribution already.  It could take days to identify one exactly at my stage, but I'll try...

Wow. It only took 15 minutes or so using D&H, and I believe I have isolated your variety, which can be described as follows:

• 27 acorns -- two single acorns to left of bow/tie and double and single acorns to right of bow/tie (13 left and 14 right)

• 1 in date points between N's in HALFPENNY

• 8 in date points between T and H in THE

Your halfpenny appears to be Wales, Anglesey DH 274. 

The edge lettering is common to most all of the halfpenny tokens dated 1788.

The token is rated Common.

It only took another half hour to double check my work and type the post.  That included 10 minutes correcting my typos.

Sheezzz, that was quick work Larry. Very cool and huge THANKS!!!


Stefanie