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1 Penny
| Issuer | Barbados |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 33 mm |
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| Obverse description | Left-facing crowned bust of an African figure, rendered with fine detail in the curled hair and strong facial features. The effigy is surmounted by an ornate crown decorated with fleurs-de-lis, crosses, and jewelled band, above which rise elaborate acanthus-like plumes. The legend I•SERVE appears in the lower field, divided by the truncation of the bust, serving as the colonial motto. The milling is visible along the outer rim, and the overall engraving style is characteristic of late 18th-century English token coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | I•SERVE |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a group of privately struck copper tokens issued for Barbados in the late 18th century, produced in Britain to address a chronic shortage of small change across the Caribbean colonies. The British government had largely neglected official coinage supply to its island territories, leaving merchants and plantation operators to commission tokens independently. Most Barbados coppers of this period were struck by Boulton and Watt at the Soho Mint in Birmingham, though attribution of individual issues remains contested among specialists.
Lyall 78 is among the scarcer catalogued varieties, with Pridmore's enumeration remaining the standard reference for colonial Caribbean issues.