Token

½ Penny - Limerick Butchers (1679) — Ireland

Ireland • 1679 • Dickinson 565; Williamson 574

½ Penny - Limerick Butchers (1679) — Ireland

Overview

A copper ½ Penny (Halfpenny) trade token issued by the Butchers' Guild of Limerick, Ireland in 1679. The obverse features a Paschal Lamb carrying a cross and pennon, a common symbol for butchers' guilds. The reverse displays the Butchers' Arms with crossed poleaxes. This 17th-century provincial business token served as small change during a period of official coinage shortage.

Specifications

Country
Ireland
Year
1679
Composition
Copper
Weight
2.5 g
Diameter
20 mm
Thickness
1.1 mm
Shape
Round
Technique
Hammered
References
Dickinson 565; Williamson 574
Issuer
The Butchers' Guild of Limerick

Design details

Obverse

Features a Paschal Lamb (the "Lamb of God") walking and carrying a cross with a pennon (a long, narrow flag). Context: The Paschal Lamb was a common symbol for butchers' guilds across Europe, representing the 'sacrificial lamb' and tying the trade to religious tradition. Inscription: BVTCHERS . LIMERICK (often with a small rosette or mullet symbol).

Reverse

Displays the Butchers' Arms. Details: The shield typically shows two poleaxes (butcher's axes) crossed in saltire, often with a winged bull or a boar's head above it. Inscription: HALFPENNY . 1679 encircling the central shield.

Collector insights

  • Series context: Part of the Trade tokens › Business tokens series — collectors typically assemble full-year date runs, so single years within an established series carry demand beyond raw mintage.
  • Catalogue reference: Listed as Dickinson 565; Williamson 574. Use this reference code when cross-checking auction archives, dealer inventories, and standard printed catalogues.

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