There are more than 700 of the tokens and some could be worth £800 each
A collection of rare 400-year-old tokens once used as money is for sale and could reach £15,000. The tokens from the 17th Century were issued by traders as currency at times when governments were not issuing small change.
More than 70 were amassed over 30 years by Mac McCarthy. The tokens were given out 400 years ago to people who lived in Cornwall.
They’re from places including St Keverne, East Looe, Penzance, Liskeard, Lostwithiel, Padstow, Penryn, Truro, Camelford, Falmouth, Helston, Launceston, St Ives and Fowey Expert, Peter Preston-Morley, said: “Tokens were a currency substitute issued by private individuals, merchants and organisations when governments were not, for various reasons, issuing small change.
“They are mostly copper, although, during the Napoleonic wars, silver tokens were also made and circulated. Books focusing on the tokens of certain counties have been published. However, no proper illustrated catalogue of the Cornish series has yet been published.
“Mr McCarthy is aiming to compile such a work. Tokens can provide the sort of fascinating, gritty local detail that other records miss when it comes to creating a clear picture of the past and this is one example.”
Among the highlights is a previously unpublished and rare farthing from 1656, believed to relate to James Ingleton of St Keverne, estimated at £600–£800. Another notable piece comes from Liskeard: a rare farthing linked to Joseph Upcott of Morval, who died intestate leaving his wife Anne to settle debts totalling £146 7s 4d.
That token carries an estimate of £400–£500.
From Penryn, an extremely rare farthing inscribed “Ursula Spurr 1668” is estimated at £400–£500. Preston‑Morley said tokens often reveal “fascinating, gritty local detail” that other records miss.
In this case, the 1658 will of Ursula Spurr’s father, Vincent Smaley, suggests she was married to an “unsatisfactory” husband. Smaley left her £8 per year during her husband’s life, rising to £100 per year should he die. The collection is being auctioned by Noonans in London on April 22.
