Barnsley. 19th-century copper penny token (c. 1810–1830).

This penny token was used in Britain in the early 1800s during a severe shortage of official small change. The Royal Mint couldn’t supply enough copper coins for the rapidly growing industrial workforce, so private employers and merchants issued their own tokens.

They were commonly used to pay workers’ wages, especially in mines, mills, and factories, and then spent locally on food, drink, and essentials. Many tokens were accepted only in the issuer’s shop or by nearby traders, a system linked to the “truck system”, where employers controlled both pay and prices.

The industrial scene on your token reflects labour as value—a visual promise that the token represented real work. Though not legal tender, these tokens circulated like real money until the government fixed the coin shortage (c. 1816–1821), after which private tokens were banned.