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Posted 01/19/2024 10:02 pm
Thank you to all for your comments and suggestions and apologies for this long post. I will add further images in a separate post.
january1may - I initially thought the 'wave' was a coiled rope often seen beneath family crests but on further examination it is only evident to the lower right of the stag head and appears to be a later dent from a heavy strike (perhaps a hammer miss-hit when punching the hole.)
paralyse - I originally purchased the token as a colliery ticket (my area of interest) so that is still a possibility. After my earlier research drew a blank I moved away from that as a probability so thank you for pulling me back out of the rabbit hole I had fallen into!
The barrel stave marker is an interesting idea to add to clues but the two-sided design and reeded edge would suggest something other than a marker.
daltonista - thank you for your support - I am still enjoying the chase! I also have an example of the manorial token you are referring to (I*H together with bear arms and crescent) but at least there are several known examples of that token. I have another mystery token for another discussion (same as D&W 298/175 numbered 23) - again, several examples are known. The references you suggested are very useful - using 'stag head erased' narrows the search to a more manageable number many of which can be discounted due to being a more recent grant. If it does represent a family crest, then the best of the rest from that source suggests either the clan Fraser of Lovat (but that stag head erased normally rests on a coiled rope) or one of the Clare families of Ireland.
Further observations after detailed examination in various light conditions and scans in colour, B&W and negative:
I find the style of the "1" in the date intriguing given the simple and somewhat crude forms of the 6, 9 and 2. The "1" is more gothic in appearance.
The die axis (obv/rev rotation) is 180 deg and the later damage to the obverse has largely obliterated the upper design of the reverse but there appears to be something between the upper pair of acorns that, with a lot of imagination, could be a cross/star meaning the lower decoration (two acorns with a cross between) may be repeated above the date.
I note that in reflected light (image in my next post) the acorn above the "2" could be interpreted as a four or five petalled flower but that may just be an imprint of whatever the token was sat on when damaged.
Finally, I recently found the collector's ticket that came with the token - I thought it had been lost but was only misplaced. The token is from the collection of Emyr George and purchased via a Simmons Gallery auction in 2021. It was listed as "Mining?" (hence my interest). The old ticket clearly shows that Emyr thought it was an early mining token and reads "Early Mining Ticket" "Unpublished (?)" and "CF D&W p295 NL No 145 (1750)". The back of the ticket has a note "cf A H Baldwin File seen 5 4 88" (or possibly "5 + 88"). I'm not sure the D&W reference will help as 'Tickets and Passes of Great Britain and Ireland' is not illustrated. However, I have recently purchased a copy (still waiting for it to arrive.) I'm not sure about the Baldwin reference - does it refer to the previous owner's file of Baldwin auction sales or perhaps a reference to Baldwin correspondence files?
january1may - I initially thought the 'wave' was a coiled rope often seen beneath family crests but on further examination it is only evident to the lower right of the stag head and appears to be a later dent from a heavy strike (perhaps a hammer miss-hit when punching the hole.)
paralyse - I originally purchased the token as a colliery ticket (my area of interest) so that is still a possibility. After my earlier research drew a blank I moved away from that as a probability so thank you for pulling me back out of the rabbit hole I had fallen into!
The barrel stave marker is an interesting idea to add to clues but the two-sided design and reeded edge would suggest something other than a marker.
daltonista - thank you for your support - I am still enjoying the chase! I also have an example of the manorial token you are referring to (I*H together with bear arms and crescent) but at least there are several known examples of that token. I have another mystery token for another discussion (same as D&W 298/175 numbered 23) - again, several examples are known. The references you suggested are very useful - using 'stag head erased' narrows the search to a more manageable number many of which can be discounted due to being a more recent grant. If it does represent a family crest, then the best of the rest from that source suggests either the clan Fraser of Lovat (but that stag head erased normally rests on a coiled rope) or one of the Clare families of Ireland.
Further observations after detailed examination in various light conditions and scans in colour, B&W and negative:
I find the style of the "1" in the date intriguing given the simple and somewhat crude forms of the 6, 9 and 2. The "1" is more gothic in appearance.
The die axis (obv/rev rotation) is 180 deg and the later damage to the obverse has largely obliterated the upper design of the reverse but there appears to be something between the upper pair of acorns that, with a lot of imagination, could be a cross/star meaning the lower decoration (two acorns with a cross between) may be repeated above the date.
I note that in reflected light (image in my next post) the acorn above the "2" could be interpreted as a four or five petalled flower but that may just be an imprint of whatever the token was sat on when damaged.
Finally, I recently found the collector's ticket that came with the token - I thought it had been lost but was only misplaced. The token is from the collection of Emyr George and purchased via a Simmons Gallery auction in 2021. It was listed as "Mining?" (hence my interest). The old ticket clearly shows that Emyr thought it was an early mining token and reads "Early Mining Ticket" "Unpublished (?)" and "CF D&W p295 NL No 145 (1750)". The back of the ticket has a note "cf A H Baldwin File seen 5 4 88" (or possibly "5 + 88"). I'm not sure the D&W reference will help as 'Tickets and Passes of Great Britain and Ireland' is not illustrated. However, I have recently purchased a copy (still waiting for it to arrive.) I'm not sure about the Baldwin reference - does it refer to the previous owner's file of Baldwin auction sales or perhaps a reference to Baldwin correspondence files?
