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HERITAGE: MESQUITE COLLECTION OF CONDER TOKENSHeritage Auctions will be selling The Mesquite Collection of Conder Tokens on May 18. Select items are discussed below. -Garrett One of our most curious auctions closing this month is the Mesquite Collection of Conder Tokens, a testament to the everyday history of Georgian and Regency Britain, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Never before has Heritage offered such a complete assemblage of Conder Tokens; rarity and preservation collide in an extensive spectrum of series, manufacturers, and regions. But what are Conder Tokens? And how do they interact with the social framework of the period? Conder Tokens came from humble beginnings, originally circulating among the lower classes as a substitute monetary system due to severe shortages of the United Kingdom's official currency and coinage. These provincial Tokens were usually copper, used at local businesses, and decorated with depictions associated with trade and manufacture. What started as utilitarian soon turned into a "collecting mania", leading to individuals and organizations manufacturing tokens with the express purpose of appealing to contemporaneous collectors. The majority of Conder Tokens were issued between 1787 and 1804, with many still acting as trade coinage in addition to being an early collectible. It was this "mania" that spurred the creation of a number of Token series, many represented in the Mesquite Collection; Token manufacturers would create thoughtful and precise dies for their pieces, ranging from satirical and political designs to historical and architectural. Conder Tokens offer an intriguing opportunity to see into common ideas and discussions of the period, as well as what knowledge was considered inherent. These themes are explored throughout the Mesquite Collection, but the following are particularly interesting due to the Tokens' portrayals of public sentiment, and perhaps most curious, what references are lost to modern viewers. Featuring a caricature of then, Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger, as 'the Uncharitable Monopolizer'. Accused of starving the poor, the inscriptions on this piece reveal concern felt by a public 'in distress' over rising wheat prices. Seemingly referring to the preluding years before the Corn Laws of 1815, with public debate and amendments occurring in both 1791 and 1804; the high price of food staples fostered a sense of injustice felt by the lower classes. This motif continues to remain up to interpretation. In the book "Political and commemorative pieces simulating tradesmens' tokens 1770-1802" by R. C. Bell, it is suggested that the "Guinea Pig" referenced in the legend is King George III, whose likeness appeared on Guinea coins, while the "Million Hogg" is playing on the term used in sheep husbandry, Northumbrian for newly shorn yearling sheep. Another interpretation saw that the "Million Hogg" was making light of the king, and his permittance of taxation, with the "Guinea Pig" an allusion to the hair powder tax of 1795 that supplemented the financing of wars with France, making those that agreed to this unpopular tax "Guinea Pigs". Political rivals Charles James Fox and William Pitt the Younger were both sons of high profile politicians, both rising in office during the reign of George III. Fox, originally a prominent British Whig parliamentarian, became increasingly anti-monarchist, openly opposing King George III and supporting the American war for independence and French Revolution. Pitt, referred to as a "new Tory" and a favorite of the King, became the youngest British Prime Minister after his appointment to replace Fox's Coalition. Though the exact situation being referenced is unclear, it is said that Fox, Opposition leader, is gleeful at the unpopularity of Pitt, who faced 'sedition and revolt'. This piece makes reference to the long history of the snail in nursery rhymes. According to Arthur Waters in his 1906 book, Notes Gleaned From Contemporary Literature, Etc.: Respecting The Issuers Of The Eighteenth Century Tokens: "This curious design implied the snail can do as it likes; but the Englishman, under the powers that were, at the end of the eighteenth century, could do nothing without coming within the clutches of the Law and tyranny of the private owners of the land. This is another of Spence's hits at landlordism." Commemorating the postal carrier, Thomas Hobson, who delivered along the route between London and Cambridge. Hobson also notably kept a livery stable in Cambridge; upon noticing his fastest horses being overworked, he instituted a rotation where customers were only offered the next horse in the rotation. It was this policy that became known as "Hobson's choice," essentially saying take it or leave it, it's this or nothing. Hobson's horse rotation thus inspired this expression. Hobson also funded the construction of a watercourse known as Hobson's Conduit, which provided the population of Cambridge fresh drinking water. 
Middlesex. "Political & Social - The Uncharitable Monopolizer" Penny Token 1800 MS61 Brown NGC, D&H-239 (S). Political and Social Series. Edge: Plain. By John Hancock. Man trying to swallow the world, the map displaying the British Isles, wearing cap reading POSSESSION decorated with devil holding bushel of wheat, THE UNCHARITABLE MONOPOLIZER WILL STARVE THE POOR / MORE WAREHOUSE ROOM / WHEAT IS BUT 22 / SHILLINGS A BUSHEL, encircling the globe: TAKE NOT WHAT WAS MADE FOR ALL, below: 1800 / IN DISTRESS // An open hand dropping coins into other outstretched hands, radiant eye above reading WELL DONE, around: THE CHARITABLE HAND / COME. ALL. YE. DISTRESSED *. An increasingly scarce issue, one of just seven present on the NGC Census, with only four previous auction results, most recently from 2014. Featuring a caricature of then Prime Minister, Pitt the Younger,
as 'the Uncharitable Monopolizer'. Accused of starving the poor,
the inscriptions on this piece reveal concern felt by a public 'in
distress' over rising wheat prices. Seemingly referring to the
preluding years before the Corn Laws of 1815, with public debate
and amendments occurring in both 1791 and 1804; the high price of
food staples fostered a sense of injustice felt by the lower
classes.
To read the complete item description, see:
Middlesex. Spence's "Odd Fellows" 1/2 Penny Token ND (1790s) MS64 Brown PCGS, D&H-795b. Edge: Plain. Janiform Head of George III and ass, A MILLION HOGG 1795 A GUINEA • PIG * ODD * FELLOWS // Janiform heads of Pitt and Fox, ODD ** FELLOWS. * QUIS RIDES. This motif continues to remain up to interpretation. In the book "Political and commemorative pieces simulating tradesmens' tokens 1770-1802" by R. C. Bell, it is suggested that the "Guinea Pig" referenced in the legend is King George III, whose likeness appeared on Guinea coins, while the "Million Hogg" is playing on the term used in sheep husbandry, Northumbrian for newly shorn yearling sheep. Another interpretation saw that the "Million Hogg" was making light of the king, and his permittance of taxation, with the "Guinea Pig" an allusion to the hair powder tax of 1795 that supplemented the financing of wars with France, making those that agreed to this unpopular tax "Guinea Pigs". Political rivals Charles James Fox and William Pitt the Younger
were both sons of high profile politicians, both rising in office
during the reign of George III. Fox, originally a prominent British
Whig parliamentarian, became increasingly anti-monarchist, openly
opposing King George III and supporting the American war for
independence and French Revolution. Pitt, referred to as a "new
Tory" and a favorite of the King, became the youngest British Prime
Minister after his appointment to replace Fox's Coalition. Though
the exact situation being referenced is unclear, it is said that
Fox, Opposition leader, is gleeful at the unpopularity of Pitt, who
faced 'sedition and revolt'.
To read the complete item description, see:
Middlesex. Bayly's "Museum" 1/2 Penny Token ND (1790s) MS65
Brown NGC, D&H-253 (S). By James. Crocodile and nature
scene, A CROCODILE TO BE SEEN ALIVE AT G. BAYLYS MUSEUM FOR . //
Rattlesnake before tree, JAMES below, ALL SORTS OF NATURAL HISTORY
X 242 PICCADILLY . Expanses flash with oil slick-like iridescence,
as a bright tangerine and mauve surrounds devices.
To read the complete item description, see:
Middlesex. Spence's 1/2 Penny Token ND (1790s) MS66 Brown
NGC, D&H-760 (S). E: Plain. ENGLISH SLAVERY, A plump man
sitting at a table, eating a large amount // A lean man on the
ground, gnawing a bone, FRENCH LIBERTY. Ample glossiness accentuate
these mahogany surfaces with bitingly satirical design
elements.
To read the complete item description, see:
Durham - Sunderland. "Iron Bridge" Penny Token 1796 MS66 Brown
NGC, D&H-3 (RR). E: ON DEMAND IN LONDON LIVERPOOL OR
ANGLESEY . X . View of a bridge with two boats passing underneath,
curving legend above // Legend in 8 lines.
To read the complete item description, see:
Cambridgeshire - Cambridge. Kempson's "Hobson Cambridge Carrier" Penny Token 1799 MS65 Brown NGC, D&H-9 (R). By Hancock. Edge: VALUE ONE PENNY PAYABLE AT CAMBRIDGE. Horse and rider, HOBSON . CAMBRIDGE . CARRIER + 1596 +, in exergue: DIED 1630 / AGED 86 // Stone conduit, HOBSONS CONDUIT BUILT 1614 / JAMES BURLEIGH'S TOKEN CAMBRIDGE + 1799 +. Commemorating the postal carrier, Thomas Hobson, who delivered
along the route between London and Cambridge. Hobson also notably
kept a livery stable in Cambridge; upon noticing his fastest horses
being overworked he instituted a rotation where customers were only
offered the next horse in the rotation. It was this policy that
became known as "Hobson's choice," essentially saying take it or
leave it, it's this or nothing. Hobson's horse rotation thus
inspired this expression. Hobson also funded the construction of a
watercourse known as Hobson's Conduit, which provided the
population of Cambridge fresh drinking water.
To read the complete item description, see:
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: Subscribe All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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