1790 Kentucky Half Penny Token - Lancaster Edge

Coin Details

Description

Identified by the word "LANCASTER" impressed into its edge, this Kentucky Half Penny Token links its production to the city of Lancaster — likely referencing a Lancashire-area manufacturer involved in the thriving British private token industry of the 1790s. Weighing 9.5 grams and measuring 29 mm in copper, the token is cataloged as Whitman 8620 and PCGS #623. The Lancaster edge inscription, like the W Parker and I Fielding edge markings on other Kentucky Half Penny variants, serves as a manufacturer's mark embedded directly into the coinage, preserving a record of the commercial relationships between American interests commissioning tokens and British firms producing them. The obverse presents the standard Kentucky design — a hand offering a scroll inscribed "OUR CAUSE IS JUST" encircled by a ring of stars — while the reverse displays the pyramid of fifteen interlocking stars symbolizing the states of the Union. This moderately scarce variety belongs to the Post-1776 Private and Regional Issues (1778-1820) series and represents one of the lettered-edge variants that make the Kentucky Half Penny series an engaging collecting challenge, where the edge — often the last area examined on a coin — holds the key to proper attribution and distinguishes otherwise visually identical pieces into distinct catalog entries.

Rarity Notes

Moderately scarce.

Cross References

Whitman 8620