BRITISH 18TH CENTURY TOKENS, ENGLAND, William Lutwyche, (1754-1801), toymaker, later token manufacturer, Temple Row and St Philip churchyard, Copper Halfpenny, 1794, obv a cypher, R & D, crest a lion, KENDAL above, rev female seated with right hand on a screw, left hand on a cogwheel, HALFPENNY above, 1794 below, cogwheel has eight spokes and one of the spokes comes between the fingers, edge PAYABLE IN LANCASTER LONDON OR BRISTOL (Conder p.175, 7; Pye p.25, 1; Atkins p.241, 4; D&H Westmoreland 3). Nearly good extremely fine and very rare.
ex James Atkins Collection
ex William Davis Collection
ex F S Cokayne Collection, acquired at the Davis Sale, 11 March 1891, lot 485 (part)
Lutwyche was active in the production of tokens from 1791 until 1801 and seems to have had more individual commissions for than any other manufacturer. His output of more than 65 tons of "legitimate provincial coins" was exceeded only by that of Thomas Williams, the consortium of Westwood and Hancock, and that of Matthew Boulton. He frequently combined dies then in his possession to produce various mules, concocted numerous specious issues, and has been attributed with manufacturing the bulk of evasions and lightweight coppers that appeared toward the end of the 18th Century
Estimate: £100-150