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On the front side, Commerce is depicted sitting on a stone in a flowing robe, holding a bundle of fasciae. Circle legend: "BIRMINGHAM MINING AND COPPER COMPANY".
The reverse side depicts a stork sitting
on a cornucopia. Circle legend: "HALFPENNY PAYABLE AT". The
stork is an omen of good luck, and the cornucopia of wealth and prosperity.
Edge inscription: "BIRMINGHAM REDRUTH &
SWANSEA ☉☿♄☽♀♃♂". The text is followed by alchemical symbols for
gold, mercury, lead, silver, copper, tin, and iron, suitable for a mining token.
The Birmingham Copper Mining Company had its mines in Redrath, Cornwall, and was also associated with Swansea, which was a smelting centre, while the finished copper was sold in Birmingham. Bound fascias are associated with the great strength of a company made up of several separate parts. The company was formed on April 19, 1790, by issuing shares worth £100 each, which had to be subscribed by the producers and consumers of metals, in order to prevent, as far as possible, a monopoly on these goods. The company's office was in Birmingham on Newhall Street. The issued tokens are dated 1791 and 1792. There have also been many fakes and fictitious company tokens released that used similar designs but had different legends.
Engraver - Wyon (Wyon), manufacturer - Kempson (Kempson). Issued in 30 cwts (1 cwts = 100 lb = 45.359237 kg) with slight differences in stamps. The following year, 1792, another 9 tons of similar tokens were produced.