The Preston-Morley Buckinghamshire Collection: Tokens

17th Century, Marlow, Alice Parker, Halfpenny, Queen’s bust left, crowned, 2.20g/3h, mm. cinquefoil, initials ap (Berry & Morley 115, and BNJ 1973, p.114, P 90°, this piece; BW. 84). Weak in parts, otherwise good fine and patinated, extremely rare; the only specimen in private hands known to the cataloguer (£150-180)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Preston-Morley Buckinghamshire Collection: Tokens.

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Provenance:
H W Taffs Collection, Glendining Auction, 21-23 November 1956, lot 856 (part);
F E Baker Collection, October 1977 [from Spink, December 1956].

Alice Parker (1629-1693), innkeeper of The Queen; married Richard Boules, c.1666. It would appear that almost all her first issue of tokens with mm. cinquefoil, which are of a style suggesting a date of issue c.1665-6, were recalled and overstruck with her married surname (see next lot). At a later date, perhaps c.1669-70, a new obverse die with mm. sexfoil, reading bovler (B & M 110), was coupled to the original altered reverse; this variety is only known from the single specimen (Oliver Ratcliff Collection, now in the County Museum, Aylesbury) illustrated by B & M in BNJ 1973, pl.iv, 110