What year were these (1770) Macniven & Camerons Pen Tokens made?
NumisOxide
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From searching online I see them
dated around c.1880. Can anyone confirm that or are these later? The ones I seen online all have holes. Thanks.
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Most "false guinea" tokens date from the lifetime of George III (pre-1820), but these are much later in make. By 1850, card-counter makers were all making Cumberland Jacks, rather than false guineas.
The company was founded in 1770 (hence the date, and anachronistic theme) but didn't adopt the "Macniven & Cameron" name until 1845.
The names on the shield are their leading brands of pen nibs they sold. The "Waverley" was invented in 1850. By 1900, the "Phaeton" pen nib had been invented and featured in marketing, so the tokens predate 1900. And by 1920, the company was moving away from solely pen marketing and into more general stationery.
I'd reckon "the 1880s" as a date for these tokens seems reasonable.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
Great! Appreciate the information.