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

Birmingham, John Allin, Halfpenny, 1796, 10.38g/12h (DH 62); Henry Biggs, Halfpence (3), 1792 with bust of Elliot (2), biggs edge, 11.55g/12h (DH 70), 8.98g/6h (DH 70a), with bust of Samuel Johnson, w. hampton edge, 10.65g/6h (DH 71a); James Bisset, Halfpenny, with pictures, edge plain, 10.29g/5h (DH 120) [5]. Very fine and better (£40-60)

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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Collection

Provenance:
Fawcett/Litman Collection, additionally:
All except DH 70a F.W. Lincoln Collection, Glendining Auction, 12-13 February 1936, lots 328 and 330 (parts) [all from Verity].

John Allin, tailor, proprietor of the York shoe warehouse, Haymarket, and of Allin’s Panorama, located at the corner of Congreve and Ann streets. Pye states that examples of DH 71a were the first tokens struck with an evasive edge reading to avoid redemption. James Bisset (1760-1832), b. Perth, painter of miniatures and portraits, Caroline street, proprietor of a museum and picture warehouse at New street, occasional writer, publisher and poet, the last survivor of the Minerva Club, a Birmingham political gathering, wife’s name Dorothy; he removed to Leamington Priors in 1813 where he opened a gallery in Clemens street and a museum in Upper Union street (Longman pp. 68-70 and Brooke, CTCJ August 1997, pp.42-5)