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Description: | Milled copper alloy token. The surfaces are dark brownish grey with areas of brighter copper colour showing and some limited Verdigris, indicating active corrosion. There are several small splits in the rim and a hole on the obverse side that does not penetrate the flan completely. These appear to be the result of decay rather than impact and may be due to impurities in the copper or flaws in the flan.Obverse: A hooded druid bust facing left surrounded by a garland of oak leaves and acorns tied at the base with a ribbon(?). (No inscription)Reverse: The capital letters P M Co in swirling script are located at the centre of the coin, the date 1784 sits above the M. Around the edge of the face of the coin is: WE PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ONE PENNY.Rim Inscription: X. ON DEMAND IN LONDON LIVERPOOL OR ANGLESEY .X.Discussion:There was a serious shortage of copper coins for small change in the late 18th century. Counterfeiting was therefore rampant. The 'Druid' penny was an attempt by the Parys Mountain Mining company to alleviate this situation locally (Fletcher 2003). The first minting was apparently carried out at Greenfield near Holywell, in 1787. However, the current coin seems to be clearly stamped with the date 1784. It is thought that pennies dated 1787, 1788, 1790 & 1791 are genuine while others are likely to be counterfeit. (Summers, 2012). This may explain the apparent poor quality of the flan. Ironically, it seems that the Druid penny was itself the target of much forgery.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/ | Go to resource |
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