The Collection of 18th Century Tokens formed by Dr David L Spence

Coalbrook Dale, Reynolds & Co, Trial Halfpenny, 1792, ship sailing under bridge, pennant drooping, water-lines unfinished, iron bridge at coalbrook dale · and date around, erected anno. 1779 span 100 ft. heit 50 ft in centre, rev. ornamental pattern of alternate straight lines and scrolls, edge birmingham [r]edruth & swansea followed by seven characters, 12.64g/8h (DH 5, this piece). River area weak (and corresponding on reverse), otherwise good very fine and as struck, UNIQUE (£2,000-3,000)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of 18th Century Tokens formed by Dr David L Spence.

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Provenance:
J.R. Farnell Sr Collection, Part II, Sotheby Parke Bernet Auction (New York), 26 May 1982, lot 12
S. Sweet Collection, Glendining Auction, 28 June 1989, lot 396
Davissons Mailbid Sale 14, 15 November 2000 (559).

Illustrated on the back cover. This important piece, first published by Atkins in 1892, was apparently not made available for illustration to Richard Dalton and Samuel Hamer, although as it does not appear in the list of pieces they were unable to trace, its whereabouts was presumed known to them. Arthur Waters, writing in 1954 with the benefit of knowing what had been on the market in the previous 60 or so years, commented that it was ‘now unknown’, but it ultimately transpired that the piece had been in the Farnell family collection, which had its origins with Richard Farnell in the early 19th century and which, in 1920, had been taken to the USA by his great-grandson, John R. Farnell (1901-77) when he emigrated to Mount Vernon, NY. Farnell described the curious reverse in some detail (SCMB 1959, pp.128-9), but did not refer specifically to the edge, on which the last three of the seven characters may be read as 826