Almost 500 lots of British Tokens spanning 300 years and covering all corners of the UKfrom the Collection of John Rose will be offered in a live/online auction by Internationalcoins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists Dix Noonan Webb on Tuesday,November 17, 2020.

As Peter Preston-Morley, Specialist and Associate Director, Dix Noonan Webb, explains:"John Rose, a familiar figure in the British token collecting fraternity for many years, firstdeveloped an interest in coins as a boy. One day in 1969, going through the trays of coins atAladdins Cave, a shop in South Croydon, he found some tokens, including an example of the1649 farthing issued at The Ship Inn, on the north corner of Lincoln's Inn, London, his localpub when he first started work as a laboratory technician at the Royal College of Surgeons.This group is estimated to fetch £150-200."

The Rose Collection is broad in its scope, but understandably London-centric and particularlyso for the 17th century series, which has remained his chief focus throughout his collectingyears. Many important pieces are included, and one instance is a very recent purchase, afarthing of Richard Winsper from Lincoln's Inn Gate (est: £200-300). The 18th centuryelement of the collection also includes some major rarities, notably a highly elusiveGodington hop token (est: £150-200) and several silver proofs. From the 19th century there isa superb example of John Robertson's Newcastle-upon-Tyne halfcrown (est: £400-500), anda rare 'Chinaman' halfcrown of Edward Wright of Birmingham (est: £600-800).

The collection includes many wonderfully shaped tokens ranging from hearts to squares aswell as many other shapes. As Mr Preston-Morley explains: "Heart-shaped tokens andsquare-shaped ones were made that way to distinguish them easily from circular ones, mostpeople who used them in the 17th century were not literate and looked at the signs on thetokens rather than the wording - a marketing ploy, if you like!"

Other notable examples, which are illustrated above, include an extremely fine and rare 18thCentury Lambeth token, that was made for collectors of the day, and bears the motto Ipromise to pay on demand the bearer one penny. It is estimated at £800-£1,000. A very fineand rare 18th Century example from Sunderland showing a view of an iron bridge with twovessels passing underneath is estimated at £500-£700. Other interesting items include fromLondon; a very rare 17th Century Token of Newgate Within Prison, dating from 1669 (est:£300-£500) and from Clerkenwell, and 18th century token depicting a man standing withwooden leg, stating Mr Joseph Askins - the celebrated ventriloquist 1796, which is estimatedat £300-£400.

For more information, see:
https://www.dnw.co.uk/