Item number: A1360

Year: AD 1889

Material: Brass

Size: 17.0 x 17.0 mm

Manufactured by: Birmingham Mint

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024

This token, minted in AD 1889, was an advertising token issued by Taylor & Challen Ltd. and produced by the Birmingham Mint.

The obverse of the token bears the inscription “TAYLOR & CHALLEN ENGINEERS BIRMINGHAM.” Birmingham denotes the location of minting, while Taylor & Challen Engineers identifies the issuing company. Taylor & Challen Ltd. was established in AD 1849 by Joseph Taylor and focused on manufacturing lathes, industrial machinery, and metal components. The company also operated dedicated mints in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

The reverse of the token features an image of an industrial lathe, symbolising machinery associated with coin production, including furnaces and die-stamping templates. This depiction serves as a strong representation of Britain’s industrial culture during the late 19th century. The surrounding text, “MINTING MACHINERY,” highlights the specialised equipment used in minting processes.

The Birmingham Mint, one of the longest-standing private mints in history, was founded by the engineer and entrepreneur Ralph Heaton (AD 1755–AD 1832). It operated for over two centuries, from AD 1817 to AD 2003. During this period, the Mint supplied coins to over 100 governments worldwide, including Persia and Germany. Notably, in the 19th century, it was commissioned by the Guangdong provincial government in China to assist in establishing the advanced Guangdong Mint.

物件編號: A1360

年代: 公元 1889 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 17.0 x 17.0 mm

製造地: 伯明罕鑄幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚於公元1889年鑄造的代幣，是由Taylor & Challen 工業股份有限公司發行的廣告用代幣，由伯明罕鑄幣廠鑄造。

硬幣的正面印有「TAYLOR & CHALLEN ENGINEERS BIRMINGHAM」的字樣， BIRMINGHAM 為鑄造地伯明罕，TAYLOR & CHALLEN ENGINEERS 即為公司行號，Taylor & Challen 工業股份有限公司成立於公元1849年，由喬瑟夫·泰勒（Joseph Taylor）創立，公司業務主要著重在車床、工業器械、金屬部件等等，並且在澳洲墨爾本及雪梨都設有專屬的鑄幣廠。

硬幣的背面印有工業車床圖像，圖像代表著鑄幣用的熔爐以及刻印用模板，非常好的代表了公元19世紀末當時的英國工業文化，外圍的字體為「MINTING MACHINERY」，就是指鑄幣用的器械。

伯明罕鑄幣廠是歷史最悠久的私人鑄幣廠，由當時的工程師及企業家羅夫 ·希敦（Ralph Heaton AD 1755-AD 1832）創立，自公元1974年到公元2003年，已有超過200年的歷史。在這期間，伯明罕鑄幣廠已為超過100多個國家的政府鑄造硬幣，例如：波斯、德國，在後來的公元19世紀更是受到當時廣東省政府的委託，幫助中國在廣東省建立了當時先進的廣東省鑄幣廠。伯明罕鑄幣廠原先的場址座落於Icknield Street , Hockley 地區，現在已轉型成博物館，並遷移到位於伯明罕外圍的Tyburn Road，並且在公元2003年被JFT Law Ltd公司收購。