Berkshire Tokens - 1819

[Exbrit]

Question - does anyone have an idea of why Henry Charles Englefield from Berkshire had several different sized and in different metals tokens with his portrait on the obverse and his initials on the reverse with ancient Greeks dates above and below his initials? What were these tokens used for? They were minted to simulate Ancient Greek coins in 1819 at the Soho Mint in Birmingham. 

  The dates above and below his initials are his year of Birth (above) and 1817 (below). The sizes are approximately 32mm, 23mm, 20mm and 18mm and were made of silver with a uniface 32mm and the 18mm tokens in copper.

  Englefield was a rich Baron and belonged to several societies. 
 

 

 

[HistoricCoinage]

I grew up near the village of Englefield Green and so you've made me find something new about it! I had never heard of this chap.

As for the medallions, he was president of the Society of Antiquaries of London until 1817 so perhaps these were for his retirement? He had a keen interest in ancient Greek and Roman history. Worth an email to archives@sal.org.uk perhaps.

 

[Paddy]

My first school was in Englefield Green! Is St Cuthberts still going?

 

[HistoricCoinage]

38 minutes ago, Paddy said:

My first school was in Englefield Green! Is St Cuthberts still going?

 

Oof, I've not been back for some years!

[Citizen H]

He was born at the family mansion, Englefield House, near Reading, Berkshire,

I was Born In Reading and lived 12 miles away,  I grew up near a manor house that was empty and a mates mum was a caretaker, we snuck off and found a room full of floor to ceiling shelfs...? we climbed them and went around the room without touching the floor......

Turns out it was a library, owned by Alexander Pope the poet ...... that was a childhood memory I never forgot when I found out who it was owned by...... 

[Exbrit]

On 6/21/2025 at 1:02 PM, HistoricCoinage said:

I grew up near the village of Englefield Green and so you've made me find something new about it! I had never heard of this chap.

As for the medallions, he was president of the Society of Antiquaries of London until 1817 so perhaps these were for his retirement? He had a keen interest in ancient Greek and Roman history. Worth an email to archives@sal.org.uk perhaps.

 

The 1817 date is my assumption as well, but why tokens of different metals and sizes? These are very interesting tokens and the silvers ones have been XRF analyzed for silver content. These go nicely together with the silver plaque or trial piece of Englefield. 
 

thank you for the email. 

[Exbrit]

On 6/21/2025 at 1:02 PM, HistoricCoinage said:

I grew up near the village of Englefield Green and so you've made me find something new about it! I had never heard of this chap.

As for the medallions, he was president of the Society of Antiquaries of London until 1817 so perhaps these were for his retirement? He had a keen interest in ancient Greek and Roman history. Worth an email to archives@sal.org.uk perhaps.

 

Wasn’t Englefield president of the Society of Antquaries from 1811-1812? So the 1817 date is still a mystery. Besides that if he did retire in 1817 from being president, why did they wait until 1819 to mint the tokens?