1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields (1890)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1890 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Brass |
| Weight | 10.000g |
| Diameter | 33.0mm |
| Thickness | 1.50mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
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AffiliateAbout the 1890 1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields
The 1890 1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields is a collector 1 penny coin, struck in brass. It weighs 10g and measures 33mm across.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1890 1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields worth?
No verified sale of the 1890 1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
Is the Allen & Co South Shields penny a real coin?
No. It is a token of Allen & Co (South Shields) Ltd, a department store at Laygate in South Shields. Both sides carry only the store's name and the value 1D. It was never issued by the Royal Mint and was never legal tender.
When was the Allen & Co penny token made?
The penny records at North East Museums carry no date, but the museum dates other tokens in the same series, the ½d and 6d, to the mid 20th century. The catalogue date of 1890 is not supported by any museum record.
How big is the Allen & Co penny token?
North East Museums measures its two examples at 33 mm across and records the metal as possibly copper. That makes the penny one of the larger pieces in the store's series, which ran from ½d up to 10 shillings.
How were Allen's store tokens used?
A South Shields local history site says that when customers returned goods, Allen's often gave a token to the value of the goods rather than a cash refund, and that token had to be spent in the store. Its example is a 2 shilling piece.
How do I identify the 1890 1 Penny - Allen and Cº South Shields?
Check the weight 10g and diameter 33mm and the metal (brass) against the specification table on this page.
History and design
Allen & Co (South Shields) Ltd was a department store at Laygate, South Shields. North East Museums holds a slide of its Christmas windows in 1962, and a local history site describes it in its heyday as a huge department store, which later declined, closed and was demolished. The store issued its own tokens, in values from ½d to 10 shillings.
The penny is one of the low values, recorded by the museum as possibly copper. North East Museums holds two examples but gives them no date; it dates the ½d and 6d tokens of the same series to the mid 20th century. The local history site says the store's tokens were often handed out in place of a cash refund and had to be spent in the shop.
The two sides are identical. North East Museums reads the lettering as ALLEN AND Co., (SOUTH SHIELDS), LTD. and the value 1D., spelling out AND where the ½d uses an ampersand. Both museum examples measure 33 mm. There is no portrait, date or maker's name.
Collecting notes
Despite the catalogue date, this is a 20th-century store token, not a Victorian trade token, and it was never money outside the shop. Look for clear lettering on the value, since the company legend is shared across the whole series and the value is what separates the penny from the others.
The other values held by North East Museums include a gold-coloured 10 shillings and silver-coloured 6d and 5 shillings, all with the same company name and (SOUTH SHIELDS) LTD. For the smallest value see the [Allen & Co halfpenny token](/coin/half-penny-allen-and-cº-south-shields-1890).
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Token, 1d, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2007.5763), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 1d, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2007.5762), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 1/2 d, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2010.4546), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Photo of old Store Token Coin From Allens South Shields, South Shields Sanddancers (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 6d, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2010.4547), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 10 shilling, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2010.3218), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 35mm slide, Christmas window display at Allen's department store, Laygate, 1962 (TWCMS 2010.1910), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 5 shilling, Allen and Co. Ltd. of South Shields (TWCMS 2010.3215), North East Museums, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
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