page_title: Soho Mint
section_title: Cartwheel penny
hierarchical_section_title: Soho Mint / Cartwheel penny
caption_attribution_description: English: A copper alloy 5 Sol Monneron Brothers Token dated to 1792 on the reverse. There is a wealth of detail of this token; a fleur-de-lys on the shield, portrait of Louis XVI, image of France as a helmeted young woman, the Constitution of the French and swearing soldiers. Designed by Dupré the date l'An IV de la Liberté refers to the French Constitutional Calendar and therefore translates as 1792. The scene on the obverse recalls the Oath of the Federation, the first anniversary of which was celebrated by the Festival of the Federation on 14 July 1790 (hence that date in the exergue). The Festival, which included a mass held by the great French statesman Talleyrand (1754-1838), then the Bishop of Autun, also commemorated the taking of the Bastille and the bond which united the nation with the king and the people. This token was actually minted in Birmingham, England. From the end of 1791 Matthew Boulton, utilising his new steam driven coin presses which was commissioned by the Monneron Brothers to produce 2 and 5 sols pieces in great quantity at his Soho Mint near Birmingham (Birmingham has grown considerable since those times and now encompasses the site where the mint once stood). According to various sources, the total weight of these coins produced was in excess of 70 tonnes, implying a fabrication of 2,334,000 pieces weighing 30 gms. each. These 'monnaies de nécessité' were to be used to remedy the lack of specie which plagued France during the early revolutionary years. The technical and aesthetic quality of the tokens was far superior to the mediocre, officially produced base metal coins of the time.In March 1792, the Monneron Brothers became bankrupt and one brother, Pierre, fled the business. Under the other brother Augustin, the business recovered, but a law of 3rd May 1792 forbade the production of privately issued coinage. In September, a further decree also forbade the marketing of these 'Medailles de Confiance'. This emergency coinage only remained in circulation therefore until the end of 1793.Obverse -Soldiers swearing allegiance to France, who holds a copy of the Constitution.Legend,VIVRE LIBRES OU MOURIER .Exergue14 JUILLET . 1790Above the flagsPACTE FEDERATIFReverse -MEDAILLE DE CONFIANCE DE CINQ-SOLS REMBOURSABLE EN ASSIGNATS DE 50 ET AU DESSUS.ExergueL'AN IV DE LA LIBERTELegendMONNERON FRERES NEGOCIANS A PARIS 1792. The diameter is 40mm, 3mm in thickness and the weight is 27.37g.
context_page_description: Soho Mint was created by Matthew Boulton in 1788 in his Soho Manufactory in Handsworth, West Midlands, England. A mint was erected at the manufactory containing eight machines, to his own patent design, driven by steam engine, each capable of striking 70 to 85 coins per minute.
  In addition to copper domestic coins, silver coins were made for some of the colonies, and various trade tokens and medals were struck. Among the medals produced were the Seringapatam medal, made for the East India Company in 1801–2 to reward participants of the Battle of Seringapatam, and a medal for the Battle of Trafalgar, which Matthew Boulton produced at his own expense and gave to all those present at the 1805 battle.
  After the demise of the Soho Mint some of the machinery was bought at auction, in 1850, by the new Birmingham Mint of Ralph Heaton II.
context_section_description: The common coinage, copper halfpennies, was subject to severe counterfeiting.
  No copper coinage had been issued by the Royal Mint since 1754 apart from inadequate issues of halfpence  and farthings from 1770 to 1775.
  In order to differentiate his proposed copper coins from counterfeits Boulton specified them as follows:
  twopence
  2 ounces (57 g) weight, diameter 8 to the foot (1.5 inches, 38 mm)
  penny
  1 ounce (28 g), diameter 17 to two feet (1.4 inches, 36 mm)
  half-penny
  ¹⁄₂ ounce (14 g), diameter 10 to a foot (1.2 inches, 30 mm)
  farthing
  ¹⁄₄ ounce (7.1 g), diameter 12 to a foot  (1 inch, 25 mm)
  Their weight in pure copper should be so close to the intrinsic value of the material that counterfeiting would be uneconomic. The diameter was made strictly defined by striking within a collar so that diameter, thickness and weight could be used to prove the quality of the metal.
  In 1797 the first, and only, copper twopence and the first penny coins were produced under contract although the smaller denominations did not follow until later. These coins were comparatively large, having a broad raised rim with the inscription pressed below the surface and became known as the cartwheel pennies. Over 45 million were struck in two years.
caption: A French revolutionary shop token, minted at Soho in 1791 or 1792
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