1793 End of Pain - The Wrongs of Man, NGC VF35 BN. 1793 Great Britain D& H-833 P Middlesex Spences Token. This Condor token depicts Thomas Paine being hanged. For the grade it shows excellent detail with slight, even wear. There is some chatter in the obverse field, which is consistent with the grade. The reverse shows a small scratch under the right bottom corner of the book and a few abrasion marks on the right page. There is a heavy obverse crack from Paines foot to the edge, and an even heavier reverse crack from the center of the book to the edge. The obverse is a mixture of brown and tan in the center and grey and steel blue at the periphery.

The reverse shows light grey pages with darker fields of steel grey and tan. The strike is sharp on both sides. On the obverse Paine is seen being hanged. The legend says END OF PAIN, which is a pun on Thomas Paines name. Paine was hated by most Englishmen of the time and would probably have welcomed his hanging. The reverse shows the left page of the book inscribed THE WRONGS OF MAN, a take-off of Paines The Rights of Man. The right page has the date Jan. 21:1793, which is the date King Louis XVI was executed, ironically implying that Paines ideas of the rights of man would lead to the end of monarchy in Europe.

Thomas Paine tokens are hot ! They are political and historical. In "A Guide Book of United States Tokens and Medals," we find anti-Paine and pro-Paine tokens were very popular here in the U.S. in the 1790s. Jaeger writes anti-Paine tokens were imported by such fellows as John Adams and Alexander Hamilton "to carry as pocket pieces." On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson and George Clinton carried pro-Paine tokens, according to the author.