¼ Penny Norfolk - Norwich (1847)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1847 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | 3.400g |
| Diameter | 21.0mm |
| Thickness | 1.20mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Central inscription in four lines,
A carriage lamp in centre.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1847 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich
The 1847 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich is a collector 1 farthing coin, struck in copper. It weighs 3.4g and measures 21mm across. Reverse design: A carriage lamp in centre.
Common questions
How much is the 1847 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich worth?
No verified sale of the 1847 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
Who issued the 1847 Norwich lamp token?
R. Alden of St Stephen's, Norwich. The token describes him as a brazier and tin plate worker on one side and a lamp manufacturer on the other, with a picture of a lamp. Norfolk Museums holds several examples, all dated 1847.
Is the Alden token legal tender?
No. It is a private trader's token, not a coin of the Royal Mint, and it was never legal tender. An Act of 1817 had banned private token coinage, but farthing-sized shop tokens were still struck and used locally as small change and advertising.
How many Alden tokens were made?
No mintage figure is recorded for this token. It was a private trader's piece, not an official coinage, so there are no Royal Mint figures. Norfolk Museums alone holds at least five examples, in its Norwich and Great Yarmouth collections, several of them given between 1966 and 1981.
Did Alden issue any other tokens?
Yes. The Fitzwilliam Museum holds a halfpenny token of R. Alden, St Stephens, Norwich, lamp manufacturer, dated 1849 and weighing 9.45 g. It is a larger, separate piece from the 1847 farthing-sized token.
How do I identify the 1847 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich?
Check the weight 3.4g and diameter 21mm and the metal (copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Alden token is a Norwich tradesman's farthing dated 1847, issued by R. Alden of St Stephen's, who described himself as a brazier, tin plate worker and lamp manufacturer. It is a private token and was never a coin of the Royal Mint or legal tender. Tokens are coin-like pieces issued by a private entity, whereas a legal tender coin comes from a governmental authority.
Parliament had forbidden the manufacture of private token coinage in 1817, yet farthing-sized shop pieces reappeared under Victoria. The Canadian Token Collectors Club archive of Bill McKivor describes these unofficial farthings as struck chiefly by merchants between 1837 and 1870 and used as advertising and as small change where needed. No mintage is recorded.
Norfolk Museums records one side as R. ALDEN ST. STEPHEN'S NORWICH 1847 BRAZIER & TIN PLATE WORKER and the other as LAMP MANUFACTURER with an illustration of a lamp. Its examples measure 21 mm and 22 mm, and one is described as copper.
The name side lists his metalworking trades, while the picture side names and shows his lamps. There is no royal portrait, and the die maker is not recorded.
Collecting notes
Alden's token survives in some numbers in its home county: Norfolk Museums holds examples given in 1966, 1979 and 1981 and others in the Great Yarmouth collections. He also issued a larger halfpenny token in 1849, now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, so check the size and date when matching a piece to this entry.
For attribution the standard works are R. C. Bell's Unofficial Farthings 1820 to 1870 with its 1994 supplement, and Paul and Bente Withers' The Token Book 2. Another Norwich token of the same year is the draper's piece of H. Chamberlin Sons & Co.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Trade token, R. Alden, St. Stephen's Norwich 1847, brazier and tin plate worker (NWHCM : 1981.309), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Norwich token, R. Alden, St Stephens, Norwich, 1847 (GRYEH : 1981.31), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, Norwich token for R Alden, brazier and tin plate worker, lamp manufacturer, St Stephens (NWHCM : 1966.738), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- R. Alden, St Stephens, Norwich, Lamp Manufacturer, halfpenny, 1849 (CM.UK.1221-R), Fitzwilliam Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 19th Century English Unofficial Farthings 1838-1870: Introduction, Canadian Token Collectors Club (Bill McKivor archive) (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token coin, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Penny (British pre-decimal coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Object search: lamp token Norwich, Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
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