Owner Comments:
1/2P 1796 SCOT D&H-58 LOTHIAN - LEITH E: PLAIN:
John White, a dealer in tea and gin operating from the Port of Leith, a district of Edinburg, Scotland is the issuer of this beautiful 1796 token. The obverse of this token promotes the Port of Leith and features a large ship approaching the port. The reverse advertises the goods that John White traded and features a bale of tea and two casks of gin. As a trader of goods, John White had a stake in making sure his trades were fair and equitable. The principle of fair trade is the primary focus of the allegory featured on the reverse of this token.
The identity of the woman featured on the reverse of this token is unknown except that the pair of scales she is holding represents fair trade. Interestingly, the Romans had a minor goddess named Aequitas who was the goddess of fair trade and honest merchants. Therefore, it is my intention to make the case that the identity of the women on this token is Aequitas.
The goddess Aequitas is generally portrayed standing holding a pair of scales in her right hand and a cornucopia or a “hasta pura” in the other. This imagery seems to suggest that Aequitas was also associated with prosperity. Aequitas may also, but not often, be portrayed in a seated position as she is on this token.
Since Aequitas appears on this token sitting on a bale or cargo crate, it demonstrates her controlling authority over fair trade and commerce at the Port of Leith. The large thistle behind her represents Scotland and may suggest governmental oversight and/or enforcement of her activities. Of course, the pair of scales in her right hand represents fair trade. In Aequitas’s left hand is a “hasta pura”. The “hasta pura” is an ironless spear about two meters long generally held by a female deity or personification and denotes power.
The coin substituting for the reverse of this token is an ancient Roman coin from the reign of Claudius II (AD 268-270) featuring Aequitas holding a pair of scales and a cornucopia.