Token (Basil Burchell)
Object numberHC.J.13.X.13
TitleToken (Basil Burchell)
Creator Basil Burchell (Manufacturer)
DescriptionCopper token by Basil Burchell advertising his remedies. One side advertises 'Famous Sugar Plums for Worms No.79 Long-Acre', the other the 'Anodyne Necklace for Children Cutting Teeth'. On edge quote "This is not a coin but a metal + . + . + . + ." It was added because many people erroneously believed that Burchell's tokens were of monetary value and returnable to him for redemption or a refund. Such tokens were common in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when there was a scarcity of legal currency in small denominations. They were often used as advertising. Parliament prohibited their production (27 July 1817) from 1 January 1818. The token was attached to a necklace and the necklace would have been used for teething babies.
Production date c.Late C 1775-01-01
Production periodLate eighteenth/early nineteenth century
Object nameToken
Object categoryDental
MaterialCopper
Dimensions
- Diameter: 2.80 cm