Description
“Industry Will Prosper” 13 Pence Token, 1802
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Date & Origin: 1802, Great Britain.
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Obverse: Beehive with bees, symbolising industry, with legend “INDUSTRY WILL PROSPER” around. Exergue: “1802”.
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Reverse: Large denomination “XIII” (13 pence) in centre, within an oak or laurel wreath, legend often “PAYABLE AT …” (varies by issuer, sometimes at London or a named merchant).
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Diameter: ~35 mm (your note matches recorded size).
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Metal: Copper or bronzed copper.
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Catalogues: Listed in Dalton & Hamer (Conder Token series, Middlesex), sometimes referenced as a political/evasion issue rather than a true circulating Conder.
Background
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The denomination 13 Pence was never official — it’s a satirical / advertising token.
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The beehive design was a popular allegorical image in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, symbolising thrift and collective work.
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These were part of the wave of privately-issued tokens c. 1790s–early 1800s, struck to relieve shortages of small change or simply as medalets to promote businesses/ideas.
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Many were struck in Birmingham (e.g. by Kempson or Lutwyche), and circulated as curiosities more than currency.









