Owner Comments:
Worcestershire Dudley DH #8b
Obverse: A distant view of Dudley Castle on a hilltop, two trees in the foreground DUDLEY TOKEN Ex: JAMES
Reverse: A shepherd sitting under a tree with a sheep behind him, a mountain in the distance Ex: 1790 the date partially obliterated
Edge: Plain
Diesinker: Charles James
Manufacturer: Thomas Spence
Weight: 9.45g
Rarity: Scarce
The shepherd laying under a tree is often interpreted as Spence himself in his utopia of public ownership of land.
Dudley Castle was originally a motte and bailey castle built soon after the Norman invasion and subsequently rebuilt in stone in the twelfth century. Demolished on order of King Henry II it was rebuilt in the second half of the thirteenth century. Damaged on order of Parliament during the English Civil War, the residential buildings were destroyed by fire in 1750. The castle is a Grade 1 listed building.
The obverse die was mulled with 12 other Spence dies while the reverse die appears to have been one of Spence's favorites being mulled with a number of other dies.
This token is Worcestershire Dudley #7 with a die clash partially obliterating the date.
Dix Noonan Webb Desktop Sale, January 2011