Owner Comments:
Middlesex Skidmore's Churches and Gates DH #664a
Obverse: A south view of St. Mary Magdalen in Bermondsey Street ST. MARY-MAGDALEN'S . BERMONDSEY Ex: JACOBS in small letters with BUILT . 1680. Below
Reverse: The Skidmore cypher - PSCO in script, DEDICATED . TO . COLLECTORS . OF . MEDALS. & COINS . surrounding
Edge: Plain
Diesinker: Benjamin Jacobs
Manufacturer: Paul Skidmore
Weight: 12.24g
Rarity: Very Rare
The church is located in the London Borough of Southwark. Bermondsey is derived from Bermond's Eye, a royal manor, granted by William Rufus for the building of a priory. The parish church was founded by the priors of Bermondsey Abbey in the 13th century. In 1680 the buildings were removed and the church depicted was erected. The church was restored in 1795 and again in 1830. The church is a Grade II listed building.
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.
Atkins: Surrey 6
Bt. John Newman