Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette - Murdered 1793

November 2024

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This token half penny is part of the Political & Social series of tokens struck in the late 18th C. Most were tradesman tokens but the interesting ones involved commentary on the feared French Revolution or internal political struggles in Britain. Like the token "Map of France', this one addresses the chaos in France that lead to the beheading of King Louis XVI and his Austrian wife Marie Antoinette. Obverse: conjoined busts with legend: 'LOUIS . XVI ET M. ANTOINETTE. ROI ET REINE DE FRANCE.' Reverse legend: 'MURD. BY | THE FACTIOUS. | LOUIS XVI. JAN. 21 | M. ANTOINETTE | OCT. 16. | 1793.' Here the 'S' in factious is barely visible in hand but not seen in this photo at all. This is the plain edge variety.
Skidmore & Son, Founded by John Skidmore (1748-1823) and later joined by his second son, Paul (b. 1775) in 1795 or 1796. They carried on an iron-foundry and held the appointment of stovegrate maker to His Majesty's Board of Ordnance. After becoming Skidmore & Son they produced numerous tokens, ultimately responsible for more than a quarter of all the token varieties produced in the late 18th century, including most of those issued by Matthew Denton, Thomas Prattent, and Thomas Spence.