Cartwheel twopence

The end of the eighteenth century, when the Mint neglected the supply of small change and private tokens circulated in the towns. Boulton, the Birmingham industrialist, built steam-driven coining machinery at the Soho Manufactory and, in 1797, struck this copper in quantity under government contract. The twopence weighs about 56.7 grams — exactly two ounces. It is called the cartwheel because its broad rim suggests a wheel. Together with the image of Britannia seated, it marks the moment when the making of money was taken over by the technology of the industrial revolution.