UK - Carmarthen Iron Works

Said by some (i.e. R. Doty "The Soho Mint & the Industrialization of Money") to be one of the most impressive and detailed of the 18th C. token coins of Great Britain. This is a coin commissioned by John Morgan for his Iron Works in South Wales, Carmarthen. A token by John Gregory Hancock. You can almost feel the heat coming from the forge! Another interesting feature of this token are the Welch location names appearing on the reverse. Be sure to view 'Iron Bridge' token from Coalbrookdale, coming soon. The iron for this 'first iron bridge' no doubt came from the Carmarthen Iron Works and both are a testament to the Industrial Revolution.
OB: "CAERMARTHEN IRON WORKS"; Ex: "HALFPENNY" - featuring a very detail view of the iron works with 3 workmen. RX: KIDWELLY WHITLAND BLACKPOOL AND CWMDWYERON FORGES'; Ex: I . MORGAN. ; edge: PAYABLE IN LONDON BRISTOL & CARMARTHEN .X.

This information posted with a photo of the most exceptional example imaginable, by Gordon Greenman on FaceBook's "Conder Cafe" Jan 2 2025:
WALES: Carmarthenshire
D&H 7
12.22g
Engraver: Hancock
Manufacturer: Hancock/Westwood
OBV: The interior of an Iron Works with three men working. The charcoal furnace is heating the metal to a molten level which is then flowing into casting beds. The legend reads, “Caermarthen Iron Works” with “Halfpenny”
In the exergue featuring a line bisected by a dot and a dot on each side of the line.
REV: The interior of a forge showing a tilt hammer and a man working on an anvil. The legend reads, “Kiddwelly Whitland Blackpool and Cwmdwyfron Forges.” In the exergue, “ I. Morgan “ and a similar line and dot combination as seen on the obverse.
Edge: Payable in London . Bristol & Carmarthen . x .
John Morgan inherited a well established business form his father, Robert Morgan, in 1778. It consisted of four forges in Carmarthenshire (detailed above), one in nearby Pembrokeshire and a tinplate works in Carmarthen. (NOTE: I think I must rely on our Welsh members to pronounce the name of the final location in Carmarthenshire. Merfyn? Anyone? I certainly don’t have a clue. Wayyyy too many consonants for me….). Not only did they control the entire manufacturing process, but his companies also owned ships(sloops) that brought in tin from Cornwall and iron from multiple other locations in England. Morgan also had agents stationed in London, Liverpool and Bristol to advance his business. In addition to being an “Iron master,” John Morgan was appointed as the county sheriff in 1782, and further he opened a bank, The Carmarthen Furnace Bank, in 1790. Catchy name! And as his iron business grew, he commissioned Hancock and Westwood to create a token for advertisement and local use.
Although there is no date on this token, likely it was struck in 1792 as evidenced by the initial obverse die trials created by Hancock, D&H 1 and 2 where the date 1792 is included. D&H 3 and 4 represented further trial refinements on the obverse while D&H 5 and 6 introduce the reverse scheme with minor changes also made to the obverse. So it seems D&H 7 was the final product. Morgan, at least according to Pye, requested 5 tons of these tokens. However, this number has been challenged over the years given that most examples found today are heavily circulated suggesting their use in commerce was significant, while relatively few remain in pristine condition. Possibly this, number was 5 “cwt” (hundredweight) rather than 5 tons. So instead of 400,000 tokens produced, the true mintage was closer to 20,000. While this seems more reasonable given the number of surviving specimens, it seems rather small for such a significant industrialist.
The engraving on this token must be among the most artistic of Hancock’s
works. The detail is exquisite! Both the obverse and reverse are modelled after two watercolour paintings by an unknown artist “JCD.” They currently reside within a Carmarthen Museum. I have enclosed a picture of each. Hancock truly caught the the dimensionality of these detailed paintings in his engravings. Notice how the reverse portrays centrally a man working with a tilt hammer and anvil. This picture is reminiscent of the Wilkinson Forge tokens Hancock engraved several years earlier.