Description:
Macclesfield copper halfpenny
Diameter 28mm
The obverse features three castles and the four points of the compass. The inscription reads 'PROMISSORY HALFPENNY PAYABLE AT'. The reverse features half a lion rampant above the monogram R.C. The inscription reads 'MACCLESFIELD'. Tokens such as this were produced for periods in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century when there was a shortage of regal copper coinage. This led the Anglesey Mines Company to produce its own copper penny and halfpenny tokens in 1787, a practice that became widespread during both periods.