Owner Comments:
Middlesex Skidmore's Churches and Gates DH #623
Obverse: A south view of the old church of St. Paul ST. PAULS SHADWEL. Ex: JACOBS in small letters
Reverse: The Skidmore cypher - PSCO in script DEDICATED TO COLLECTORS OF MEDALS & COINS . surrounding
Edge: COVENTRY TOKEN
Diesinker: Benjamin Jacobs
Manufacturer: Paul Skidmore
Rarity: Rare
The church depicted stood on the site of the newer church of the same name, to the north of Shadwell Basin, London Docks in High Street, Shadwell at the east end of London. The church was taken down in 1817 and a new church built. The church was traditionally referred to as the Church of Sea Captains. John Wesley was a preacher there and Captain James Cook worshipped there. Among those baptized in the church was Jane Randolph, the wife of Thomas Jefferson. The current building is a Grade II listed building and is still in use.
The family business of the token manufacturer Peter Skidmore was an iron foundry at 15 Coppice Row in Clerkenwell with a shop at No. 123, High Holborn. Skidmore realized that there was a market for tokens as the genuine tradesmen's pieces of the time were very keenly collected as they were issued. As well as making genuine tradesmens' tokens to order, he also made pennies and halfpennies for sale to collectors of the time - especially series of Buildings Tokens for London.
One of a set of 120 pieces - each portraying a well-known church in or around London.
Bt. Gary Groll
Ex: Francis Cokayne
Ex: James Atkins