Description
Great Britain, Warwickshire, Birmingham, Peter Kempson (1755-1824, buttonmaker, later token manufacturer, at St Mary’s Row, Birmingham, later Little Charles Street; he was actively involved in the production of tokens from 1791 until 1799, turning out more than 60 tons of “legitimate provincial coins” for various commissions, and freely muled dies in his possession, producing a variety of tokens for sale to collectors), Brass Halfpenny Trade Token, undated (c.1797), obverse: a large building, GENERAL HOSPITAL above, ERECTED 1779 in exergue (Birmingham General Hospital was a teaching hospital in Birmingham, founded in 1779; in 1765 a committee for a proposed hospital was supported by, amongst others, Matthew Boulton, John Baskerville and Sampson Lloyd; some of the money needed for the building was raised by the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival, the first of which was held over three days in September 1768, and which continued to fund the hospital into the 20th century), reverse: type three, shield of arms, MAKER OF BUTTONS MEDALS &c. BIRMINGHAM around, P. KEMPSON. above, P of P. KEMPSON aligns over space between O and F of OF, stop after KEMPSON, edge plain, diam. 29mm (Dalton & Hamer “The Provincial Token Coinage of the 18th Century” 181).
Good extremely fine retaining some faded brilliance, rare.
