gettoni

[scacchi]

When the British government failed to supply sufficient small change between 1649 and 1672, it prompted thousands of shopkeepers and innkeepers to issue private tokens to fill the gaps. These tokens give a fascinating insight into the workings of trade and business during this time, but also city life in general. Spreading only as far as the knowledge of the shop or business extended, they containinformation which is very local in nature – the name of the issuer, the business they were involved in, their address and the token's value. The sheer size of London, as compared to other urban centres, meant that there were more tokens issued in Drury Lane than in the whole of the city of Gloucester.

This copper coffee house token was issued by Timothy Child at some point between 1649 and 1672 and was to be used as tender in 'YE COFFE HOUSE IN RUSSELL STREET' – very near to where the British Museum is today! Coffee shops sprang up throughout London following the arrival of the first in St Michael's Alley, Cornhill in 1652 and became popular venues for people to discuss the news of the day