A Thomas Paine Poltical Token
BillJones
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Here is a piece, which is actually a British Condor token, that U.S. political collectors include in their collections of 18th and 19th century tokens. This piece features a man hanging from a scaffold and the phrase “End of Pain.” The reverse features the slogan, “May the knave of Jacobin clubs never get a trick.”
The “End of Pain” slogan refers to Thomas Paine, the extremely influential political philosopher who wrote Common Sense the pamphlet that helped to ignite the American Revolution. How did a Patriot like Paine end up hanging on a scaffold on a token, and how did this token become a campaign tool for an American political party? Stay tuned.
Thomas Pain earned his place in history during the American Revolutionary War. After publishing Common Sense in January 1776 he followed it up with the Crisis papers which urged Americans to continue to support the cause. These works are best known for their opening line, “These are times that try men’s souls.”
Paine returned to his native England in 1787. He was most happy when he was either fermenting revolution or supporting one, and in that vein he published a number of works in support of British radicalism. Among his reforms were a system of progressive taxation, retirement benefits and public employment. Paine got on the wrong side of the people in power when he advocated an end to the British monarchy. That earned him a charge of sedition which prompted him to flee to France and the French Revolution.
Paine become one of the few foreigners who got a seat at the French National Convention, but his quarrelsome nature soon got him in trouble again. After opposing the execution of the French king and queen, the Jacobins tossed Paine into prison.
After his release Paine wrote his last, great work, The Age of Reason. In this work, Paine attacked the basic principles of Christianity and explored the concepts of deism. Deism centers upon the belief that God created the earth and the universe, set it into motion and then left it all to its own devices without his intervention. It is known that Thomas Jefferson shared a similar view, which got him into political trouble from time to time.
After the publication of The Age of Reason. , Paine because a very unpopular figure among evangelical Christians. When he returned to the United State in 1802 he mostly ignored or ostracized. When he died in 1809 only six people attended his funeral.
The token that is pictured above was issued during the time when Paine was participating in the French Revolutionary government. At the time most influential Englishmen and other upper class Europeans viewed Revolutionary France in much same way as many Americans viewed the Soviet Union. It was a “contagion” that had to be contained or better still eradicated.
Thomas Jefferson and many members of his Democratic-Republican Party strongly supported the French Revolution and called for the United States to help defend it. For a long time, he ignored the excesses of Revolution, most obviously the Rein of Terror in 1793 which resulted in the execution of many innocent people. John Adams and the Federalists supported the English view and advocated that the U.S. should stay out of the fight. This because one of the first major issues that divided the two emerging American political parties.
During this debate, the Federalists imported a number of tokens like this piece from England to support their view. These pieces, like many copper coins, circulated in the United States as money, and also presented a political position. In light of the fact that many evangelical Christians had come to despise Thomas Paine because of his views on religion, few were offended by this image of a man who had once been a hero of the American Revolution.
The “End of Pain” slogan refers to Thomas Paine, the extremely influential political philosopher who wrote Common Sense the pamphlet that helped to ignite the American Revolution. How did a Patriot like Paine end up hanging on a scaffold on a token, and how did this token become a campaign tool for an American political party? Stay tuned.
Thomas Pain earned his place in history during the American Revolutionary War. After publishing Common Sense in January 1776 he followed it up with the Crisis papers which urged Americans to continue to support the cause. These works are best known for their opening line, “These are times that try men’s souls.”
Paine returned to his native England in 1787. He was most happy when he was either fermenting revolution or supporting one, and in that vein he published a number of works in support of British radicalism. Among his reforms were a system of progressive taxation, retirement benefits and public employment. Paine got on the wrong side of the people in power when he advocated an end to the British monarchy. That earned him a charge of sedition which prompted him to flee to France and the French Revolution.
Paine become one of the few foreigners who got a seat at the French National Convention, but his quarrelsome nature soon got him in trouble again. After opposing the execution of the French king and queen, the Jacobins tossed Paine into prison.
After his release Paine wrote his last, great work, The Age of Reason. In this work, Paine attacked the basic principles of Christianity and explored the concepts of deism. Deism centers upon the belief that God created the earth and the universe, set it into motion and then left it all to its own devices without his intervention. It is known that Thomas Jefferson shared a similar view, which got him into political trouble from time to time.
After the publication of The Age of Reason. , Paine because a very unpopular figure among evangelical Christians. When he returned to the United State in 1802 he mostly ignored or ostracized. When he died in 1809 only six people attended his funeral.
The token that is pictured above was issued during the time when Paine was participating in the French Revolutionary government. At the time most influential Englishmen and other upper class Europeans viewed Revolutionary France in much same way as many Americans viewed the Soviet Union. It was a “contagion” that had to be contained or better still eradicated.
Thomas Jefferson and many members of his Democratic-Republican Party strongly supported the French Revolution and called for the United States to help defend it. For a long time, he ignored the excesses of Revolution, most obviously the Rein of Terror in 1793 which resulted in the execution of many innocent people. John Adams and the Federalists supported the English view and advocated that the U.S. should stay out of the fight. This because one of the first major issues that divided the two emerging American political parties.
During this debate, the Federalists imported a number of tokens like this piece from England to support their view. These pieces, like many copper coins, circulated in the United States as money, and also presented a political position. In light of the fact that many evangelical Christians had come to despise Thomas Paine because of his views on religion, few were offended by this image of a man who had once been a hero of the American Revolution.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
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do you know ,who the six people were that attended his funeral. ???
littlejohn
<< <i>hi
do you know ,who the six people were that attended his funeral. ???
littlejohn >>
That one I can't answer. Jefferson might have been a logical choice since he and Paine agreed on a lot of issues, but I don't think that he did attend the funeral. By then Jefferson had become a pretty political animal and would have been looking after his image.
i just though,it would be neet to know who his real friends was.
littlejohn
<< <i>hi
i just though,it would be neet to know who his real friends was.
littlejohn >>
Yes, I agree, but my guess is they were people whose names mean little to history in the grand sceme of thngs.
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That was a great story about Thomas Paine. I've read most of his works and have admired him for his philosophies. I never thought of how he must have been despised.
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Thanks for sharing...Mike
Here's another such token as the one Bill posted:
Middlesex Corresponding Society D&H 290.
Obverse - A man is hanging upon a gallows with the letters P T and a human eye between them. Behind the gallows is a pole bearing a Cap of Liberty and ornamented with laurel branches. To the right of this is an obelisk inscribed 1796 and PEACE. In the foreground is an oval shield bearing an anchor and the inscription HOPE. While Papal and Royal emblems: a rosary, cross, bishop's crozier and triple crown, and sword, mace and regal crown are scattered on the ground.
Legend - LIBERTY AND NOT SLAVERY
Reverse - The cypher LCS within a circle of leaves.
Legend - DEDICATED · TO · THE · LONDON · CORRESPONDING · SOCIETY · in the outer circle. MAY · THEIR · ENDEAVOURS · MEET · REWARD
Edge - Milled.
It was common practice when publishing libelous material to print the first and last letter of the individual's name, leaving the reader to fill in the blank. This flimsy expedient was sufficient to evade the laws of libel. In the obverse legend the diesinker has left little to chance; P eye T could hardly be mistaken for anyone but William Pitt, the Prime Minister.
Pitt began his political life as a supporter of Parliamentary Reform, but with his accession to power he was forced to suppress the more seditious elements in their aims to overthrow the government. He proposed the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act to suppress sedition and conspiracy which received the assent of Parliment in 1794. The sarcastic reference on the obelisk to Peace in 1796 is directed against the Prime Minister, and refers to the abortive mission of Lord Malmesbury to Paris in that year.
The reverse design is based on the cypher of the London Corresponding Society; one of the most affected by Pitt's measures.
09/07/2006
Here is a token from my Conder collection that has a design much like the one posted above.
MIDDLESEX
Spence's
HALFPENNY TOKEN
1793 Unc. D&H-833a
EDGE: Plain
Not intended for general circulation - Issued by Thomas Spence, a London coin dealer.
MANUFACTURER: Peter Kimpson
The inscription "END OF PAIN" is a pun on Thomas Paine, who was hated by most Englishmen of the 1790s. The designer is suggesting that the obverse scene would in fact be a welcome end to Thomas Paine. The inscription "THE WRONGS OF MAN" is an obvious jab at Paine's book "The Rights of Man" which was published in 1791. The date on the right leaf of the book 21 January 1793 is the date that King Louis XVI of France was executed. The suggestion here is that Paine's ideas lead to the death of the King of France and would do the same for the King of England if his ideas were to gain a following there.
This token is attributed to Thomas Spence by Dalton & Hamer, however it seems most unlikely that Spence an ardent follower of Thomas Paine would have issued a token of this nature.
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BillJones: Real cool!
In the 1960's, as a Cub Scout, I used to volunteer cleaning up at the Thomas Paine home which is located in New Rochelle, New York. This is where Thomas Paine wrote "Common Sense" in 1775-1776.
A year later in 1964, Robert F Kennedy used the backdrop of the Thomas Paine home as well as the City Hall (two different locations) to announce to Westchester County, NY residents that he was running for Senator of the State of New York and incredibly, I saved a good quality picture of such event. He even autographed his pamphlet for me which has subsequently been lost.
Thomas Paine was a very revered citizen of New Rochelle, NY despite the fact that only 6 people attended his funeral.
Check out the Thomas Paine Museum on North Avenue in New Rochelle, NY (about a 1/2 hour north of New York City) if you ever travel to New York. It is a treat!
Cool token and some great history.
Bell No. 68 D&H Middlesex 831
Obverse: A man hanging from a gibbet with a church tower and spire in the distance. Legend: END OF PAIN
Reverse: An inscription in five lines between two small ornaments: MAY THE KNAVE OF JACOBIN CLUBS NEVER GET A TRICK with a star and two small sprays of leaves beneath.
Edge: Plain
This is issue is considered Rare. The Diesinker remains unknown, the manufacturer was Lutwyche.
The obverse legend is a pun, End of Paine, hanging being the only suitable end for the arch villain of the revolutionaries. the reverse inscription is another pun on Thomas Paine as the knave of Jacobin clubs (the reform societies) never to win a trick, an allusion to the game of whist, popularized by Edmond Hoyle. (1679 - 1769). It is ironic that Paine opposed the Jacobin party in the Convention and tried to save Louis XVI and have him banished to America, He failed, and the Jacobins worked tirelessly for Paine's destruction; without the intervention of the American Ambassador, Munro, they would have succeeded.
( from R.C. Bell's Political and Commemorative Pieces Simulating Trademen's Tokens 1770-1802)
09/07/2006
Interesting story of this end the pain token!
One of the coolest ever minted IMHO! Cheers! 
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Hopefully @BillJones can add back his original photos!
I have always liked this token because of its connection to the US.
Several other Conder tokens are sought by Colonial collectors.
I have a halfpenny and farthing of this Spence token
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Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
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Done!
Now you guys have me wondering who the 6 at Paines funeral were...
I missed this one the first time around
Steve
Darn, I didn't realize this was an old thread and just liked Bill's post from over 13 years ago!
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CoinsAreFun Toned Silver Eagle Proof Album
.
Gallery Mint Museum, Ron Landis& Joe Rust, The beginnings of the Golden Dollar
.
More CoinsAreFun Pictorials NGC