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1796 SIR GEORGE COOK CONDER TOKEN
Peter-Preston Morley of Dix Noonan Webb had asked for more information on a token he's cataloguing for an auction on October 5. Ken Bressett came through with information from the catalogue of the Col. Cutting collection, where it was sold in 1898.
-Editor
Ken Bressett writes: The piece is described in the catalog thus: 510. Lambeth. Man stdg, smoking, holds a mug and keg of beer, [147] 4. Unc. and v. rare. The obverse of this lot is photographically pictured in the center of the page on Plate 2 in the back of the catalog. It brought $1, which wasn't a really low price considering what some other pieces brought in this sale. Lot 252, A Bermuda Sommer Islands ‘hog' sixpence, also brought $1 ! Peter-Preston Morley writes:
The token I am attempting to trace, which was in the Cutting collection, is a penny of Lambeth, dated 1796, showing a standing figure of Sir George Cook.
I append a description of the token and an illustration of it,
Lambeth, Prattent's Penny, [17]96, standing figure of George Cook, smoking pipe and holding a mug and a keg, rev. sr. g • cook fruiterer greengrocer & oyster merchant stangate lambeth, vegetables around, edge on demand we promise to pay one penny, 20.71g/6h (DH 1). Struck over a Penny of Mary Lambe of Bath [DH Somerset 8], metal fault in obverse field and light striking cracks, otherwise virtually as struck, original colour on obverse, reverse with rainbow patination, very rare £500-700 Provenance: Col. W. Cutting Collection, Part I, Lyman Low Auction (New York), 23-4 May 1898, lot 510; T.A. Jan Collection, Part II, Spink Auction 35, 11 April 1984, lot 69; M.Z. Gerson Collection; J.A. Bobbe Collection [from M.Z.G. September 1985]; bt J.A. Bobbe May 1998 Wayne Myers writes: A little more information on Col. Walter Cutting. It appears that the Col. was a New York City native. Moving to Pittsfield around 1869 when he married a Miss Pomeroy. While in Pittsfield he would be described as a "Gentleman Farmer" with a large estate,650 acres," Meadow Farm" located on Holmes Rd in Pittsfield. The location of the farm was across from Holmeswood, home of Oliver Wendel Holmes and about 3/4 of a mile from where Herman Melville wrote "Moby Dick." While in Pittsfield he supported numerous charities. He was also involved in local and state politics. Data says that Col. Cutting inherited a fortune during the middle years of his life. It appears that the farm remained in the family name after 1898 and Col. Cutting had relocated back to NYC, which was about the time of the Low sale. None of the information that I could locate lists him as a coin collector. Col. Cutting passed away in 1907 in New York City. The obituary located in the New York Times also did not mention anything about numismatics.
Many thanks to everyone for their help. Neat token!
-Editor
To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: MORE ON COL. WALTER CUTTING OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v14n36a09.html) CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID W. LANGE!Wayne Homren, Editor The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org. To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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