Owner Comments:
The token pictured above is commonly known as a Washington North Wales Halfpenny. It bears no date or denomination. It was probably struck in Birmingham England sometime between 1790 and 1795, and has been widely attributed to a mint owned by William Lutwyche. Few definitive details about these tokens are available, since all signs point to their being evasion halfpence produced for local circulation. Mints involved in such surreptitious activities were loath to divulge much information about their operations. Among the indicia that these pieces were evasion, i.e. official looking, but with subtle errors aimed at avoiding criminal prosecution are: 1) They were struck from poorly made shallow dies, in low relief, to simulate wear, and thus bettering their chance of commercial acceptance; 2) They were lightweight, struck on thin planchets; 3) There was a misspelling in the obverse motto: "Georgeivs Washington". Royal pieces referring to King George would have read "Georgivs". (Such evasion language and appearances would hardly have been necessary if these tokens were intended for the American colonies.)
The Washington North Wales Halfpenny was made in 3 or 4 varieties. Most were fashioned out of copper, (some with a brassy appearance), and have a plain edge. Most obverses display several prominent die cracks. Some distinctive types contain variations of the words "payable in Lanca (Lancaster) London or Bristol" on their edges.
The reverse of the token has a 10 stringed Irish harp with the legend "North Wales". Most specimens have a single sixfoil (six petal rosette) on either side of the base of the harp. Very rare pieces feature two sixfoils on either side of the harp. Interestingly, although the letter "h" on the reverse is punched in, the "h" in Washington on the obverse was created by punching two parallel "I"s into the die, and then connecting them with a scratch.
Since these pieces lack sharp detail, and are not to be found in high grades, they present a formidable challenge to those trying to grade them properly.