© ZacUK
© ZacUK
1 Farthing - Sparrow Nail Merchant London
1826 year| Copper | 5 g | 23 mm |
| Location | United Kingdom (United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies) |
|---|---|
| Type | Medals › Advertising medallions |
| Year | 1826 |
| Value | ¼ Penny (1⁄960) |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | 5 g |
| Diameter | 23 mm |
| Thickness | 1.5 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Technique | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Demonetized | Yes |
| Updated | 2024-11-14 |
| Numista | N#108371 |
|---|---|
| Rarity index | 95% |
Reverse
A hot air balloon ascending with two occupants - the pilot (Green) and passenger (Sparrow), with flags marked G and S respectively
Script: Latin
Lettering:
LEATHER SAUCE INVENTED
· 1826 ·
Edge
Plain
Comment
Not the same as Bell# 2881 as this obverse has a balloon on as well as different lettering.Five different types of this token; links to the other four below.
Isaac Earlysman Sparrow was a passenger in a balloon flight at Oxford, on 23 June 1823, piloted by Charles Green. He paid £50 and, watched by a crowd of some 5,000 people, had quite an eventful flight, the netting catching a chimney on take-off, and repairing the balloon during the flight with a silk handkerchief. On landing in the trees at Nettlebed Heath, Sparrow was thrown out of the gondola, but managed to catch a rope and saved Green from drifting away.
The tokens are believed to be by either T Wyon or T W Ingram. Sparrows “Leather Sauce” was not a commercial success, and he was declared bankrupt.
