The King's Old Barge

Nicholas Yates issued this trade token, worth a half penny, for his business at the King's Old Barge, on the Upper Ground, Southwark.

Boyne & Williamson (1891) reference Southwark number 487; Obv inscription: NIC. YATES. AT. YE. KINGS. OLD. BARGE (around field, in Roman capitals) Device = HIS / HALFE / PENY / 1669 (in four lines of Roman capitals, in field); Rev inscription: HOVS. VPER. GROVND. SOVTHWORK (around field, in Roman capitals) Device = The Bakers' arms (in field).

The arms of the Worshipful Company of Bakers are: Gules three Garbs Or on a chief barry wavy of six Argent and Azure two anchors Or cabled Gules over all issuant from a cloud proper radiated in chief Or a cubit arm descending therefrom vested Argent cuffed Sable the hand proper holding a balance (J. Bromley, The Armorial Bearings of the Guilds of London: a record of the heraldry of the surviving companies with historical notes; with...[illustrations] by Heather Child...(London, 1960). The anchors are often omitted as they are on this example.