44 DORSET SEVENTEENTH CENTURY TOKENS. 



on both sides, and others have names at length. The legend round 

 them contains the name of the person, and that of his place of 

 residence, sometimes his trade, sometimes the value, where it is 

 not in the area or field. 



These tokens were generally of copper or brass ; a leaden one 

 being rarely to be met with. 



The earliest dates are 1648, 1649, and 1650, but, according to 

 Boyne, tokens of these years are scarce; after 1650 until 1660 

 they are more plentiful, and nearly the whole of them are 

 farthings ; half-pennies are few in number, and there are no pennies. 

 Those of a date subsequent to the Restoration of Charles II. are 

 the most abundant ; half -pennies are very common among them, 

 and there are a good number of pennies. The years 1665 to 1669 

 are the most prolific, particularly 1666 (the year of the Great Fire 

 of London), whilst in 1670, 1671, and 1672 they again become 

 scarce, of the latter year there being very few. From this it will 

 be seen that these tokens were in circulation exactly a quarter of a 

 century ; they originated in a public necessity, but in the end 

 became a nuisance. They were issued by nearly every tradesman as 

 a kind of advertisement, and being only payable at the shop of the 

 issuer they were very inconvenient. The Government had for 

 some time intended the circulation of Royal copper money, as we 

 learn from Boyne that pattern-pieces of half-pennies and farthings 

 were issued in the year 1665, but it was not until 1672 that the 

 farthings of Charles II. of a similar size to those of the present 

 day were ready for circulation. Tradesmen's tokens were then at 

 once put down by a stringent Royal Proclamation dated 16th 

 August, 1672, which Boyne gives in full in the introduction to his 

 work. This put a stop to the circulation of tradesmen's tokens 

 almost immediately ; a few attempts were made to continue them, 

 but the threat of Government proceedings against the offenders 

 effectually put these down and we hear no more of them. In 

 Ireland, which then, as now, would always seem to have been the 

 last in obeying the law, a few were circulated some years later ; the 

 latest date in that country being 1679. 



