Owner Comments:
Middlesex Skidmore's Churches and Gates DH #560
Obverse: A south east view of St. Swithin’s Church London Stone ST. SWITHIN . CANNON . ST. Ex: JACOBS in small letters
Reverse: The Skidmore cypher - PSCO in script, 1797 below, DEDICATED . TO . COLLECTORS . OF . MEDALS. & COINS . surrounding
Edge: Plain
Diesinker: Benjamin Jacobs
Manufacturer: Paul Skidmore
Weight: 12.21g
Rarity: Common
First recorded in the 13th century, the church was dedicated to Saint Swithin, a 9th century bishop of Winchester. The old church on this location was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, the one illustrated was built based on designs by Christopher Wren in 1678. The church was bombed in WW2 and completely destroyed. The remains of the church were finally demolished in 1961-2.
In 1742 the London Stone, from which the church took its name, was moved from the south side of the street to the front of the church beside the church door.
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: Middlesex 430
Bt. Sarasota Numismatics