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England - 1796

Fisher's Library halfpenny

Obverse:

View of a house.

Legend:

FISHER'S LIBRARY

Exergue:

AND / LOUNGE / 1796

Size:

29.6 mm.

Edge:

CELEBRATED FOR PURE AIR & SEA BATHING .+.+.

Reverse:

PROSPERITY / TO THE / GENTRY / WHO VISIT / EAST-BOURN.

Legend:

Ornamental device

Exergue:

Ornamental device

Vern's Comments:

The obverse die was starting to fail when this was produced.

There were no public libraries at this time. People who could afford it (gentry) would subscribe and then had borrowing rights. The few "public" libraries were actually someone's private library and the owner controlled who constituted the "public".

England — Sussex

D & H 21 — Eastbourne

O: View of a house. FISHER'S LIBRARY AND LOUNGE 1796.

A. 20

R: PROSPERITY I TO THE I GENTRY I WHO VISIT I EAST-BOURN. With an ornament above and below.

E: CELEBRATED FOR PURE AIR & SEA BATHING .+.+.

Fisher's Library halfpenny