1930-60 AD., Great Britain, England, London, Spitalfields wholesale market, wholesaler John Woolf Ltd., manufactured by R. Neal, 20 Shillings deposits paid for returnable packages.

Great Britain, England, London, Spitalfields wholesale market, wholesaler John Woolf Ltd., manufactured by R. Neal, ca. 1930-60 AD.,
20 Shillings Token (ø 31 x 31 mm / 9,34 g), copper-nickel, square shape, a w-shaped cutout at center, axes medal alignment ↑↑ (0°), plain edge,
Obv.: JOHN WOOLF Ltd. / SPITALFIELDS // R NEAL , company and manufacturer.
Rev.: 20/- , value.
TokenCatalog - ; http://www.mernick.org.uk/thn/tokens/market/Spitafields_market.htm .

Tokens are known for traders in wholesale markets across the UK. They were usually used in connection with deposits paid for returnable packages. During the nineteenth century the great majority of fruit and vegetables were received from farms in baskets, sacks or wooden boxes. To ensure these were returned a deposit was charged and tokens issued to the buyer for an equivalent value. When the containers were returned with the token the money was refunded. The use of tokens was phased out in the 1950s and 1960s. Some markets (for example Billingsgate) also used tokens to record how many loads a porter had carried. There were two markets in Tower Hamlets that used tokens: Columbia and Spitalfields. The tokens themselves were in use from about 1850 to 1960 and could be made of brass, copper, zinc or cupronickel. Denominations ranged from 2d to £10. During the nineteenth century 6d and one shilling tokens predominated but gradually, higher denominations were introduced. Tallies were given in return for a deposit paid on boxes and crates when items of fresh food (fish, meat, fruit, etc.) were bought from wholesale markets or farms. They were a means of ensuring that the boxes and crates were returned to the wholesalers and farmers. When the first tallies were produced in the middle of the 19th century, they had a relatively low value (sixpence being quite common). With inflation and increasing packaging costs, the amount required to be deposited progressively increased, typically reaching a halfcrown by the turn of the century, and up to several pounds when the tallies were last in use in the 1950's.
London manufacturers predominate with the firm of R. Neal and its successors being by far the most prolific. Ralph Neal at 19 Percival street was the token maker.

Bounded by Commercial Street to the East, Lamb Street to the North and Brushfield Street to the South, this wholesale market was the largest in the borough. Granted a charter by Charles II in 1682, it was largely rebuilt by Robert Horner in the 1890's. He sold the lease to the City of London Corporation in 1920 and they extended it considerably. The market moved to a new site outside Tower Hamlets in 1991 and most of the 20th century buildings have recently been demolished. The Horner building survives and is the venue for a very busy Sunday market. The market dealt in vegetables, fruit and flowers. Over the years thousands of traders must have operated from Spitalfields and there are many tokens recorded. Denominations range from 2d to £5 in a variety of metals and shapes. Almost all of these tokens were made in London, primarily by the firm of R Neal and its successors.