Ireland Edward Stephens Token 1816

Hello Timothy!

These tokens were minted as substitutes for coins during a time where small change was scarce in some regions of what is now the United Kingdoms.

These are one penny tokens from Ireland. Edward Stephens minted these tokens in his private mint in Dublin. The have the Duke of Wellington, Arthur Richard Wellesley on the obverse, and the crowned harp of Ireland on the reverse.

Most of these coins that you see are either beat up or very worn. Looking at values, it seems that collectors are willing to forgive some slight edge nicks to acquire coins that have good details left, as in our our primary picture. If you look at the side with the harp, you will notice that the rim has some issues at 3 o' clock. However, on the side with the bust, there are very good details visible: the leaves in the laureate wreath can be seen separately, and the legend is strong and bold.

If you look at our secondary picture, the edge and rim look neat. However, there is much more wear on the Duke's portrait, and the N in WELLINGTON is only faintly visible.

Even with its nice edges, the secondary coin is only being sold at around $18 US dollars, while the coin in the primary image successfully sold for just over $24.

Approximate catalog values run like this:

worn: $25 US dollars
average circulated: $50
well preserved: $100
fully uncirculated: $300

Remember to check out our 'Important Terminology' page on the top left to properly interpret these catalog values.
cqLastNotify