In the years immediately after the Revolutionary War, Americans still conducted daily trade with a patchwork of foreign silver, leftover colonial pieces, and privately made tokens that merchants accepted. Even after the United States Mint opened, early production of small copper coinage was limited, and the need for practical “small change” remained intense. The shortage attracted attention in Birmingham, England, where token making was already an established business. The Washington Liberty and Security tokens are English-made pieces that are still collected today because they reflect a time when British token makers used American themes.
These tokens are often described as speculative issues. Makers hoped that if their pieces circulated smoothly, the U.S. government or large American merchants might order more, creating a profitable contract.
Why These Tokens Were Made and Why They Fell Short
The designers tried hard to package an “American” message. Their imagery draws on patriot-friendly themes of liberty and security. Yet they repeated an earlier problem: placing George Washington’s portrait on the token.
Contemporary attitudes in the early republic often treated presidential portraits on official coinage as too monarchical, and Washington is frequently described as sharing that discomfort. This left Washington-portrait tokens politically unlikely to be adopted as official U.S. issues. Even well-made tokens faced resistance because a Washington portrait looked too close to monarchical imagery for official adoption. As a result, they remained private pieces, regardless of how convincingly “national” their legends and symbols sounded.
Design Types, Key Varieties, and What Collectors Look For
Collectors typically group these into two basic types, with multiple recognized varieties most often distinguished by planchet size, rim style, and edge lettering. Different collectors may count the distinct varieties slightly differently.
The first type is undated and is often attributed to Thomas Wyon. The obverse shows a military bust of Washington facing left, with “GEORGE WASHINGTON” around the upper periphery. The reverse centers on a large shield divided into two contrasting halves: one side with 15 stars on a lined field and the other with 15 stripes. Above the shield is a thin eagle with raised wings, holding arrows in one talon and an olive branch in the other. The legend “LIBERTY AND SECURITY” arcs around the top, separated by the eagle’s wings.
For this undated type, edge details are a major diagnostic. Many examples carry the edge statement “AN ASYLUM FOR THE OPPRESS’D OF ALL NATIONS”, while another variety is known with a plain edge (often noted as being on slightly smaller planchets in some references). A related version keeps the main designs but adds a corded outer rim, giving the border a different appearance.
TThe second group consists of slightly smaller tokens, often referred to as a halfpenny, dated 1795. They are usually described as coming in five varieties, distinguished primarily by edge inscriptions, and, in one case, a different planchet size. It again uses Washington in military bust, and the reverse repeats the eagle-over-shield theme with 15 stars and 15 stripes. The date appears as “17 95”, split by the lower portion of the shield. Some pieces have plain edges, but others carry edge inscriptions that function like commercial signatures or redemption language. Recorded examples include:
- “AN ASYLUM FOR THE OPPRESS’D OF ALL NATIONS”
- “PAYABLE AT LONDON LIVERPOOL OR BRISTOL”
- “BIRMINGHAM REDRUTH & SWANSEA”
Related to the halfpenny is a larger penny-sized Liberty & Security piece, often described as struck in 1795 but undated, with the ‘AN ASYLUM…’ edge inscription (and additional rim-style subtypes in some references). The series appeals to collectors because key differences, such as bust orientation, rim style, planchet size, and especially edge lettering, are easy to spot and compare. Those details make it possible to build a focused type set while still staying within one coherent Washington-themed family.
