Wilkinson's (Warwickshire) silver gilt copper Conder halfpenny token dated 1790. Obverse: Bust of John Wilkinson: “IOHN WILKINSON IRON MASTER.”. Reverse: The interior of a smithy showing a large drop hammer and a workman holding a piece of metal on an anvil in front of an open furnace with the date: “1790” in the exergue. Edge inscription: “WILLEY SNEDSHILL BERSHAM BRADLEY”. The Wilkinson Series was wrongly attributed by Dalton & Hamer to Warwickshire and should have been included in the Shropshire section. John Wilkinson was one of the leading iron masters at the end of the eighteenth century and, more importantly for collectors of Conder tokens, the second person to commence their issue. An interesting and detailed token commemorating the start of the industrial revolution in reasonable collectable condition with some edge bruises, see photograph.

D&H Warwickshire No: 387. Diameter 29mm. F. £12.00

e-mail David at d-stuart@d-stuart.demon.co.uk to order.

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