09/11/2026
🪙 When the government couldn’t provide enough small change, private businesses stepped in.
This 1790s Middlesex Bayly’s Halfpenny Token (D&H-253) was issued during a period when official small change was in short supply. Merchants, tradesmen, and private issuers began producing their own tokens to keep everyday commerce moving.
But these pieces became much more than substitute money.
Many were beautifully engraved, carrying advertisements, political messages, civic themes, portraits, and elaborate designs. Today, they give collectors a miniature snapshot of British commercial and social life during the Industrial Revolution.
This Bayly’s issue is a particularly attractive survivor:
🔸 Plain Edge
🔸 NGC MS 62 BN
🔸 Rich chocolate-brown and mahogany surfaces
🔸 Reported population of only 2 in MS 62 BN, with just 16 graded higher
Finding an 18th-century copper token that survives in true Mint State condition is remarkable in itself. Pieces like this were created to circulate, be handled, and actually function as money.
For collectors of British history, Conder tokens, exonumia, or unusual forms of early private coinage, this is a wonderful piece of the story.
📍 Available now at Beantown Coins!
👉 https://beantowncoins.com/1790-s-g-b-d-h-253-middlesex-bayly-s-1-2p-ngc-ms62bn.html
