CATALOGUE OF
LEADEN AND PEWTER
TOKENS ISSUED IN IRELAND
 
BY AQUILLA SMITH, M.D., M.R.I.A.

(pp. 215-221 with one page of illustrations)
 

TOKENS made of lead or pewter are scarce, because they have in general been disregarded by collectors as unworthy of their notice, and being of so little intrinsic value, they are usually thrown away by the person who finds them. They possess, however, some claim to be put on record as evidence of the state of the currency at particular times, when, owing to the scarcity of regal copper money, it became necessary to substitute leaden tokens for the convenience of the poorer classes of society.
All the tokens described in the following Catalogue are made of lead, except the Ballycastle halfpenny, which is made of pewter, and was struck with dies. The greater number of the leaden tokens were cast in moulds, and a few of them were subsequently countermarked with a stamp, bearing the initials of the person by whom they were issued.
There was an abundance of regal copper halfpence coined for Ireland between the years 1736 and 1783, but no copper farthings were issued after the year 1760, until 1806. The regal money must have become scarce soon after 1783, as a necessity arose for the coinage of a great variety of copper halfpence after the year 1789, a copious list of which has been published by Mr. Lindsay - "View of the Coinage of Ireland p.116"
The only tokens which bear dates are the curious one of Kilkenny, struck in 1578, and the square piece with the date 1731, the last in this Catalogue.
The period during which the Dublin tokens were current has been ascertained from a careful examination of the "Dublin Directories." It extended from the year 1773 to 1799, and nine of the sixteen Dublin tokens were in circulation between the years 1780 and 1790; most of them were issued by grocers who chiefly resided in obscure localities, viz.: Mary's-abbey, Boot-lane, Fisher's lane, Pill-lane, Church-street, Upper Church-street, and North Great Brunswick-street, all in the same neighbourhood ; and one in Britain-street, on the north side of the city; and on the south side in Francis-street, Thomas-street, and James's-street.
Most of the Cork tokens were also issued by grocers, as appears from the symbol of the sugarloaf, and more particularly from the local information respecting them for which I am indebted to Mr. Richard Caulfield of Cork. The period during which the Cork tokens were in circulation extended from the year 1795 to 1816.
It is probable that these tokens passed as farthings to accommodate the poorer classes in the purchase of small quantities of tea and sugar, which bore high prices during the protracted war with France.
 
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7. O:A • L • in Script capitals.
R:A sugar-loaf suspended from a ring, between BK and ST (Barrack-street); an olive-branch above, and another below the sugar-loaf. Weight 128 grains.
 This token was issued by Andrew Lucette, a grocer, who resided in Barrack-street about the year 1808. Engraved in Lindsay's " View of the Coinage of Ireland," Supplement, pl. V. fig. 18.
8. O:A sugar-loaf between the letters F • M • in Roman capitals; a circle of pellets near the edge.
R:An eagle with expanded wings, within a circle of pellets. Weight 88 grains.
 Engraved in Lindsay, Supplement, pl. V. fig. 17. Frederick Miller, a grocer, who resided in Barrack-street about the year 1808, issued this token.
9. O:I • D • in Script capitals, within a circle of pellets.
R:A sugar-loaf suspended from a ring, between BK and ST, (Barrack-street), within a circle of pellets. Weight 141 grains.
  John Drinan, a grocer, who issued this token, resided in Barrack-street about the year 1808.
10. O:IOHN • HARE.
R:BARRACK STREET. A circular token described by Mr.Lindsay, "View of the Coinage of Ireland," p.120.
 John Hare was a grocer in Barrack-street in the year 1816; he afterwards removed to Patrick-street.
DUBLIN, CO. DUBLIN.
11. O:JOHN BOSHELL. In the centre a flower with six petals.
R:No 83 - CHURCH - STT. in three lines; weight 75 grains.
 John Boshell was in business as a grocer at 83, Old Church-street, from the year 1781 until 1786, at which time he appears to have been an oil and seed merchant; and in 1788 he was a wholesale merchant; his name does not appear in the " Dublin Directory" after the year 1789.
12. O:P - BYRNE - NO. 28, in three lines; milled on the edge.
R:CH. - STRt. in two lines; weight 131 grains.
 Patrick Byrne, grocer, resided at No. 28, Old Church-street from the year 1779 until 1792 ; his name is omitted in the "Directory" for the year 1786.
13. O:C • COLGAN.
R:NO 11 - THOMAS - ST. in three lines; weight 115 grains. Fig. 4.
14. O:WILLIAM • FAY +
R:114 - JAMES'S - STT. in three lines; weight 80 grains. Fig. 5.
 William Fay, grocer, is in the "Directory" for the years 1798 and 1799.
15. O:PETR FLEMING. In the centre an urn, with a loop at each side, and flames issuing from the urn; the letters P. F. stamped in as a counter-mark.
R:No. 101 - CHH. ST. in two lines: weight 108 grains. Fig. 6.
 Peter Fleming, grocer, is in the "Directory" from the year 1776 to 1786, when he was succeeded by Patrick Rooney (see No.22), whose name is in the "Directory" for the year 1787, as residing in No.101, Old Church-street.
16. O:CHRR - HALPIN in two lines.
O:CHURCH • STT.; in the centre 39; weight 103 grains.
 Christopher Halpin, grocer, resided in No.39, Old Church-street, from the year 1787 to 1793.
17. O:* * * : HUTTON, in the centre a double circle, with four small crosses at equal distances between the two circles.
O:JAMES • STREET ; in the centre, 101; a bird (?) over the figures; weight 72 grains.
 Maxwell Hutton, No. 131, James's-street, is in the "Directory" from the year 1787 to 1790. The Hutton family carried on the grocery business for many years subsequent to 1790. There is a street in Dublin called Dame's-street, which at first was put on the mould, and altered to James-street.
18. O:THOS. • LEONARD • ; in the centre a flower of six petals.
R:NO 41 • BRITAIN • ST; in the centre a flower of six petals; weight 52 grains. Fig. 7.
18v. O:There is another variety, which has a small pellet in the centre, instead of a flower, on each side; weight 52 grains.
 Thomas Leonard, grocer, resided at No.41, Britain-street, now called Great Britain-street, from the year 1779 to 1783.
19. O:I : LYON across the field. A lion rampant over the name, and a trefoil under the name, within a roped circle near the edge.
R:27 - FISHERS - LANE in three lines, within a roped circle weight 53 grains. Fig. 8.
  Fisher's-lane is an obscure place between Pill-lane and Mary's-lane.
20. O:* MORN MC. DONOGH; in the centre a harp; at the edge a beaded circle.
R:* BRUNSWICK * STT.; in the centre, NO. 14; at the edge a beaded circle; weight 53 grains. Fig. 9.
 Brunswick-street, now called North Brunswick-street, is adjacent to Upper Church-street.
21. O:JOHN MC. • GRANE; a flower of six petals in the centre, and a similar flower between the name and surname.
R:NO. 10 - BOOT - LANE in three lines, a flower of six petals near the margin after "Boot," and two similar flowers under "Lane." Fig. 10.
 Boot-lane extends from Mary's-abbey to Little Mary-street.
22. O:PAT - ROONEY in two lines; between the lines a sprig.
R:NO. 101 - CHH. • ST. in two lines ; a scroll under the lower line; weight 88 grains.
 Patrick Rooney, grocer, resided at No. 101, Old Church-street, from the year 1787 to 1790; he was the successor of Peter Fleming, No.15.
23. O:CHAS. SMYTH a small annulet after the surname.
R:MARY'S - ABBEY. in two lines; weight 75 grains. Fig.11.
 Mary's-abbey extends from Capel-street to Pill-lane.
24. O:I : T - NO. 32 in two lines.
R:UPPER • CHURCH : ST. *; in the centre 32; weight 103 grains. Fig. 12.
 John Taylor, grocer, resided at No. 32, Upper Church-street, which is a continuation of Old Church street, from the year 1787 to 1791.
25. O:ROBT. - WHITE in two lines, countermarked with the initials, R. W. in Script characters on a rectangular label.
R:106 - PILL - LANE in three lines; weight 86 grains. Fig. 13.
 Robert White, grocer, resided at No.106, Pill-lane, from the year 1773 to 1784.
26. O:ASHLEY - BLUE BOAR - FRANS STT in three lines within a raised border.
R:Blank; weight 80 grains.
 William Ashley, grocer, resided at No. 77, Francis-street, in the year 1797.