Samuel Fereday Bilston 1812 Copper Token

Samuel Fereday was an important Black Country industrialist. Sir Edward Thomason, in his Memoirs, reckoned him to be the greatest ironmaster in the world. In addition to his industrial and mining activities, he was a partner in the Bilston Bank, which failed in the slump of 1816. At the height of his prosperity he and his various companies employed around 5,000 workers, the largest number at that time ever to have been employed by one concern. Fereday issued a range of copper penny tokens in 1811-1812 for the town of Bilston in Staff ordshire with his name and we have a small number available in Very Fine Condition.