Item number: A1182

Year: AD 1794

Material: Copper

Size: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 9.85 g

Provenance: Private Collector, United Kingdom, 2024

This coin is a token minted in the late 18th century. Such tokens were widely circulated during the British Industrial Revolution to address the shortage of copper coins.

The obverse side of the token features the famous “Norwich Castle,” a medieval fortress located in Norfolk, England, built in the 11th century. The detailed depiction of the castle is clearly visible and well-integrated with the surrounding design. The legend “NORWICH CASTLE” appears at the top, emphasising the significance of this historic site.

The reverse side depicts a suspended fleece, symbolising the wool trade, which held major economic importance in British history, particularly in the Norfolk region. Above the fleece is the legend “GOOD TIMES WILL COME,” reflecting the public’s hope for economic recovery in the future. At the bottom, “MDCCXCIV” represents the year AD 1794 in Roman numerals, indicating when the token was minted.

In the late 19th century, the castle was converted into a museum, preserving artefacts related to royal nobility, as well as specimens from the Age of Exploration.

This image displays the edge legend of the token, a technique known as “milled edge lettering,” which was commonly used on tokens and coins in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The visible legends include segments of letters, such as “COCKEY,” “LAND,” “RICHARD,” and “BACON,” likely referring to the token’s issuer or place of origin. This type of edge lettering served as an anti-counterfeiting measure and also provides additional historical and cultural clues, allowing users, collectors, and researchers to trace the token’s origin or background.

物件編號: A1182

年代: 公元 1794 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 28.5 x 28.5 x 1.6 mm

重量: 9.85 g

來源: 英國私人收藏 2024

這枚硬幣是一枚鑄造於公元18世紀末的代幣（Token）。這類代幣在英國工業革命期間廣泛流通，用來應對當時銅錢的短缺。

代幣正面展示了英國著名的「諾里奇城堡」(Norwich Castle)，這是一座位於英國諾福克郡的中世紀城堡，建於公元11世紀。代幣上的城堡圖案細節清晰，與周圍環境相互映襯，並且上方印有「NORWICH CASTLE」的英文字樣，強調了該城堡的重要性。

公元19世紀後期這座城堡改建成為了博物館，保存了有關皇家貴族的歷史文物，以及大航海時代的部分標本。

背面圖案是一隻垂掛的羊毛皮，象徵著在諾里奇地區盛行的羊毛貿易，這在英國歷史上具有重大經濟意義。上方有一句「GOOD TIMES WILL COME」(好時光將會來臨)，反映了當時人們對未來經濟復甦的期盼。下方的「MDCCXCIV」是公元1794年的羅馬數字，顯示這枚代幣的鑄造年份。

這張圖片展示的是該枚代幣的側邊刻字，這種技術稱為「邊緣刻字」，常見於公元18、19世紀的代幣和硬幣。

從圖片上可以看到幾段字母組成的文字，刻字上出現的「COCKEY」、「LAND」、「RICHARD」、「BACON」等字母，可能指發行代幣的製造商或地區名稱。這種邊緣刻字具有防偽功能，同時也提供了額外的歷史和文化線索，讓使用者、收藏家與研究人員可以追溯代幣的來源或背景。