Owner Comments:
Pictured above, is a 1793 Washington President Lettered Edge Ship 1/2 Pence graded AU 53 BN by NGC. This piece once resided in the prestigious collection of Donald G. Partrick, and has been variously categorized as: Musante GW-20; Fuld-WA.1793/2.2.1.28 mm; Baker-18; Breen-1225; and W-10855. As this token is also collected as part of the British Conder Token Series, it has been assigned the additional designation - Dalton & Hamer (D & H) Middlesex - 1051. (Tangentially, there is a similar 1791 Ship 1/2 Pence that paired a Hancock Large Eagle obverse with a Liverpool ship.)
Although not readily apparent, this token actually exhibits an overdate - i.e. 1793/2 can be discerned. No purely 1792 specimens are known however. Q. David Bowers' research establishes this Lettered Edge Ship 1/2 Pence variety as a rarity URS-9, with an estimated 125 - 249 pieces extant. 115 have been slabbed by NGC, with 319 holdered by PCGS.
The tokens display the edge wording: PAYABLE IN ANGLESEY LONDON OR LIVERPOOL.X. A plain edge variety exists, but it is far rarer, with only 3 - 4 known examples.
The lettered edge tokens exhibit a 180 degree die alignment. At least one brass example exists. Later die states show evidence of clashing and bulging. Most surviving specimens are well worn from extensive circulation.
HISTORY: Washingtonia - i.e. commemorative coins, medals, and tokens depicting our national hero, George Washington, an almost cult-like figure, have been enthusiastically collected since the late 1700s. These pieces were produced both in America and overseas, and at governmental and private mints. Neil Musante, who wrote a definitive work on Washingtonia, listed over 1,148 items incorporating Washington's name and/or his image.
Many Washingtons originated in England in the late 1700s as part of the Conder Token Series (aka 18th Century Provincial Tokens). Conder tokens were named after an English businessman and numismatist, James Conder, who was one of the first to definitively catalogue them. They evolved privately as a means of meeting the need for small denomination coins/tokens in everyday transactions, which the British government had neglected to adequately provide for years. The themes of the tokens, produced in huge numbers, ultimately morphed in many diverse directions. They served variously as: business store cards, for advertisement purposes and serving as transactional currency; were used to convey political messages; and often commemorated great individuals, events, and buildings.
The English prodigy, John Gregory Hancock, (1775-1815), an immensely talented juvenile engraver, has been credited with engraving the Lettered Edge Ship 1/2 Pence pictured above, with its iconic portrait of George Washington. He started fashioning Conder tokens as early as 9 years of age. By his teens, working for the John and Obadiah Westwood Mint in Birmingham, he had created the famous Large and Small Eagle Cents dated 1791. These pieces were intended as proposed samples to convince our founding fathers to outsource the production of federal coinage to private British firms, rather than dealing with the onerous task of creating a US Mint from scratch. Obviously, these efforts did not succeed, partially because Washington never looked kindly on his image appearing on any US coin. The Lettered Edge Ship Token used the obverse die portrait of George Washington appearing on Hancock's 1791 Small Eagle Cent.