Owner Comments:
Pictured above is a 1795 copper Washington Grate Halfpenny graded MS 64 BN by PCGS. These pieces are generally acknowledged to have been designed by Thomas Wyon of the Peter Kempson & Sons Mint in Birmingham, England, (although Dalton and Hamer attribute the reverse die to Willets, as struck by a Mr. Good). They were produced, in large quantities, for the London firm of Clark & Harris, dealers in stove and fireplace grates, to serve as advertisement tokens.
The Washington Grate Halfpennies were created for, and intended to be used solely in Britain. As such, they are firmly entrenched as members of the Conder Token Series. Although these tokens have at best, a tenuous connection with the United States, British coin dealers have obligingly fed them to eager American collectors. Such collectors have fixated on: the portrayal of George Washington, one of our favorite founding fathers, prominently displayed on the obverse; and the fact that these pieces share a common engraver with the popular Liberty and Security penny, and a bust similar to that exhibited on the Liberty And Security Halfpence. The Liberty And Security emissions are known to have been sent to America, and did in fact circulate here to some extent.
The Washington Grate Halfpenny features a profile of George Washington facing right on its obverse. Two distinct varieties have been noted, the Large Button, and rarer Small Button variations. This refers to the relative size of the three buttons appearing on Washington's coat. (The example pictured above is of the Large Button classification). The obverse legend reads as follows: "G. Washington The Firm Friend To Peace & Humanity".
The reverse pictures a prominent coal grate spanning an ornate fireplace. The word "London" and the date 1795 appear below, with the following language occupying the periphery: "Payable by Clark & Harris 13.Wormwood St. Bishopsgate".
Most specimens exhibit a diagonal reeded edge (as does the pictured coin), however, about 30 Large Button pieces have the following additional edge lettering: "Payable At London Liverpool or Bristol".