Coin minted 230 years ago as part of anti-slavery campaign, is up for sale

A 230-year-old anti-slavery coin is going under the auctioneer’s hammer tomorrow – and the sellers believe its topicality will spur widespread interest. 

The coin carries a distinctive image which was doing the rounds at the time – created by designers Henry Webber and William Hackwood – it features an enslaved man in chains ‘taking the knee,’ which has become a symbol of defiance in recent times. 

The words inscribed on the coin above the pleading figure posed a simple but emotive question. “Am I not a man and a brother?”   

It was a design which appeared on brooches and other accessories worn by those attending campaign rallies in towns and cities across the country. 

If the plea was designed to appeal to a British sense of fair play, it certainly worked. In 1807, parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act with the United States following suit. 

The American footballer Colin Kaepernick famously made the gesture during the playing of the National Anthem before a gridiron match to protest against injustice towards people of colour in the USA – riling President Donald Trump. 

It was subsequently been taken up by footballers in this country before matches to signal solidarity with the cause. 

The item is in the possession of Baldwin’s – a firm on the Strand dealing in the buying and selling of historic coins and medals.  

They say it was made by Members of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, which began circulating the coin shortly after it formed in 1787. But it is probably one of only 100 or so ever minted. 

It would have been used in trading, even though it was not legal tender, as such. A copper shortage in the 1700s meant coins were often privately minted and accepted in trade.  This one is made of white metal and would have been equivalent to a penny, based on the value of the material. 

A spokesman for Baldwin’s told South London Press: “Because there are so few of these dotted around the universe, it’s not often they’ll come up for auction like this.  

“Most are in private collections and it may be only once every 50 years that someone will put it back in the public domain by selling off after a death in the family, for instance. 

“We think it should carry a lot of interest because of the current debates surrounding the taking of the knee and Black Lives Matter.” 

Richard Gladdle, a numismatic consultant, said: “No one should forget the legacy of those in this country who used this symbol to such great effect in their long campaign against the evils of slavery. 

“This cruel practice saw millions displaced from their homes, and the coin perfectly illustrates the trauma suffered by those victims.” 

The coin is being auctioned tomorrow (Wednesday) and has a guide price of £300. 

Pictured top: The historic coin (Picture: Baldwin’s)