Item number: A1466

Year: AD 1795

Material: Brass

Size: 22.0 x 22.0 mm

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This is a trade token with a face value of 1 farthing, issued in AD 1795 by Mark Lambe & Son Grocers, based in the city of Bath, located in the southwest of England. The token is made of brass. Farthing was a former British monetary unit, equivalent to ¼ of a penny, and was officially discontinued in AD 1956.

The obverse of the token features a cipher emblem formed from the surname of the Lambe family, symbolising their identity. The upper edge of the design is inscribed with the location and denomination, reading: “A BATH FARTHING TOKEN”. Beneath the cipher is the year of issue, “1795”, accompanied by a six-petalled floral ornament.

The reverse of the token prominently features a rectangular wooden box, representing the tea chest, a cornerstone product of the Lambert family’s grocery business. The tea chest reflects the historical importance of tea as a key trade commodity between Britain and China, prior to Britain’s successful cultivation of tea in India’s Assam region.

On the surface of the tea chest, the store’s name is printed in English: “M. LAMBE & SON GROCERS BATH”, alongside the Chinese merchant’s name, “元合”, signifying the tea importer. Surrounding the tea chest is an inscription listing the grocery store’s staple products: “SPICES ~ TEAS ~ SUGARS COFFEES”. This design underscores the store’s emphasis on international trade and high-demand goods of the era.

Mark Lambe & Son Grocery Store was co-managed by Mark Lambe, a native of Somersetshire, and his wife, Mary. After Mark Lambe’s death in AD 1791, the business was taken over by his widow, Mary, and their son, Markes. Together, the mother-and-son duo continued to operate the store, focusing on the sale of tea, candles, and other daily necessities.

According to historical records, in AD 1802, shortly after Max’s marriage, he appears to have left the grocery business and settled in the nearby town of Beaminster, marking the end of his direct involvement in the family enterprise.

物件編號: A1466

年代: 公元 1795 年

材質: 黃銅

尺寸: 22.0 x 22.0 mm

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

這是公元1795年，以英國西南部的大城巴斯為據點的「馬克·蘭貝父子雜貨店」發行之面額1法尋貿易代幣，材質為黃銅。法尋為英國舊時的貨幣單位，相當於 ¼便士，於公元1956年停止使用。

代幣正面是以蘭貝父子的姓氏組成之花押圖騰。花押上緣標示發行地點和面額「A BATH FARTHING TOKEN」(巴斯法尋代幣)，花押下方則標示年份「1795」和一枚六瓣花飾。

代幣背面正中央的矩形木盒，是雜貨店的銷售主力，來自中國的茶葉箱。在英國成功將印度的阿薩姆地區栽培為茶葉產地以前，茶葉一直是英國和中國之間最為重要的貿易商品。茶葉箱上面以英文打印商號「M. LAMBE & SON GROCERS BATH」(馬克斯·蘭貝父子雜貨店 巴斯) 以及茶葉進口商的中文商號「元合」。茶葉箱外圍則打印雜貨店的主力商品「SPICES ~TEAS ~ SUGARS COFFEES」(香料~茶葉~糖 咖啡)。

馬克·蘭貝父子雜貨店由出身於薩默塞特郡的馬克·蘭貝和妻子瑪麗共同經營。公元1791年，老馬克去世後，由遺孀瑪麗和兒子馬克斯接手經營。母子倆共同經銷茶葉以及蠟燭等日用品。根據相關的文獻，公元1802年，馬克斯結婚不久似乎就離開雜貨鋪，並且在附近的小鎮比明斯特定居。