Hainault's First Farmer cont.

Hainault Farm became a thriving business and issued trading tokens. Parliament's failure to provide sufficient small denomination coinage drove desperate traders to issue their own, particularly in low values that the average person used in daily life. Tokens were normally inscribed with the issuer's name, trade, and town of residence. Most were round, but square, oval, heart, diamond and octagonal shapes were also made. Tokens were usually restricted for use with the business that issued them so their decline was hardly surprising. Lead and pewter tokens existed, but those of copper and brass were more popular and gave rise to the expression, 'It's not worth a brass farthing.'