1805 SILVER FIVE PENCE BANK TOKEN IRELAND

This 1805 Irish silver five pence bank token documents a fascinating period of monetary innovation during the Napoleonic Wars. Issued when official coinage shortages plagued the British Isles, bank tokens served as authorised substitutes for everyday transactions across Ireland. Struck in sterling silver, this piece reflects the financial pressures and creative solutions that characterised early 19th-century Irish commerce. Collectors of Irish numismatics, bank tokens, and Napoleonic-era artefacts particularly prize such examples for their rarity and historical documentation. The token exemplifies Ireland's distinct monetary experience within the Union and provides tangible evidence of the banking institutions that sustained Irish economic activity during wartime. A significant acquisition for specialists pursuing comprehensive collections of Irish coinage heritage and British monetary history.