World Tokens, the Property of a North Country Collector

Ceylon, Estate tokens, C. H. de Soysa, obv. C.H. de S between decoration, rev. a beaded circle within a plain circle, brass, 24mm (Prid. 93; cf. Ford 288); George Steuart & Co. (2), British Half-Farthing, 1851, rev. incuse countermark GS&CO, task value 4 1/2d; task value 19 cents, obv. GEORGE STEUART & Co * CEYLON * around 1843 within 4 plain circles, rev. WEKANDE - MILLS around two women filling a sack inscribed GS&C within a rope and plain circle, copper, edge grained, 29mm (Prid. 95, 96; cf. Ford 288); James Swan & Co, task value perhaps 19 cents, obv. JAMES SWAN & Co. ST-SEBASTION . MILLS . COLOMBO . CEYLON around a mill building over the date 1856, rev. ST. SEBASTION MILLS + COLOMBO CEYLON + around JAMES / 1856 / SWAN & Co, bass, 32mm (Prid. 97; cf. Ford 289); Tatham & Co., task value perhaps 19 cents, obv. COLOMBO / TATHAM & Co. / CEYLON each line separated by a scroll device, rev. SUDDUWELLE / MILLS between two scroll devices, copper, edge grained, 29mm (Prid. 102; cf. Ford 291) [5]. Third extremely fine, last good very fine, others nearly fine, the fourth rare £120-£150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, World Tokens, the Property of a North Country Collector.

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Provenance: bt. D. Vorley, 1987

C. H. Soysa was a coffee grower and amassed great wealth much of which was donated philanthropically for the benefit of Ceylon. George Steuart & Co. were merchants, bankers estate and commission agents and were founded in 1835. The minted token was used at the Wekande Mills (Slave Island) which employed over 1000 people engaged in curing coffee, cinchona, etc. James Swan was a planter in 1845. In 1848 he joined the firm Swan, Keir & Co. and from 1856 he seems to have carried on business under his own name. The St. Sebastian Mills token is associated with the first coconut oil mills established in Colombo in 1832. The Suduwelle Mills were the stores of Mackwoods & Co and the tokens appear to have been issued after 1861