Token

Description

This is an 18th-century British trade token, a type of privately minted coin used in place of official currency. This copper token was made by medalist Peter Kempson and issued by textile mill owner John Fincham. This obverse side reads “Haverhill Manufactory” and depicts a man seated on a bench connected to a large floor loom. The reverse side contains a cypher with Fincham’s initials, “JF.” The cypher is encircled by the Latin phrase “Pro bono publico,” or “For the public good.” This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017.