1793 AD., England, Somersetshire, Bristol, Halfpenny Token, D&H 89.

England, Somersetshire, Bristol, 1793 AD.,
Æ Halfpenny Token (28 mm / 9,32 g),
Obv.: ONE HALFPENNY - HAWKINS BIRD / WINE STREET - No2 BRISTOL , a tower and a spire of a church.
Rev.: PAYABLE AT THE INDIA TEA WAREHOUSE / 1793 , front view of a building.
D&H 89 (The Provincial Token-Coinage of the Eightteenth Century - Dalton & Hamer - the classic work on British tradesman's tokens. Originally published in 1910).

The condor tokens of the late eighteenth century came into being out of necessity. The British government had ceased production of copper coinage in 1775 and light weight forgeries soon circulated in large numbers. Many exasperated tradespeople demonstrated their independence and commonsense by issuing small change of their own. Much of the legitimate regal coinage was worn thin beyond recognition. The condor tokens, in spite of being illegal, at once became extremely popular and accepted locally as a regular medium of exchange. Most of these tokens were of good weight and material, equal at least to that of the genuine regal coinage.