J. Walker & Co Kandy

A roughly struck brass token used by John Walker, Co of Kandy, as indicating payment due for time or hours of labour.

SPECIFICATIONS
Alloy	Brass
Diameter	30.5 mm
Thickness	mm
Weight	5.31 gms
Shape	round
Edge	Plain
DieAxis	O°

Lowsley #40 Pridmore #106

Obv. :	(an Integer) J. WALKER & C^O KANDY	with the number on each token below a hole for suspension.
Rev. :	Blank

It hardly comes within the range of the old-time Ceylon tokens, but Lowsley includes it as it is closely allied to these in some respects.
Messrs. Walker, Sons & Co., of the Colombo Iron Works, The Fort, Colombo, employing 400 hands, are connected with the above-named firm. They make use of a plain brass ticket with a hole in it, as representative of money value for work done by time. The firm being one of ironmongers and machinists, and often sending engine-fitters, &c., out to work.

J. WALKER & CO. The founder of the firm was John Walker, a native of the village of Dounc, Perthshire, Scotland, and an engineer and inventor of exceptional ability. He came to Ceylon in 1842 and in 1854 commenced business as a manufacturer of coffee machinery at Kandy.
In 1862, William Walker, his brother, also a man of parts, came to Ceylon and became a partner in the business. The firm was originally situated in Trincomalee Street, Kandy, and with the arrival of his brother the title of the business became John Walker & Co.
The firm was later situated at Bogambra, Kandy. The token may have been issued for use there as they employed 500 hands. In 1870 Ceylon witnessed an unparalleled prosperity from its coffee plantations and the firm opened several branches in the up country planting districts. Owing to the growing importance of Colombo the firm removed its headquarters to Colombo in 1881.

Pridmore show #65, Scaif shows #7; Lyall #74; Cruse #27;
If you have this token please E-mail # if possible with image, particularly if it is larger than any of the numbers listed so far

Reference
* Coins and Tokens of Ceylon, Lieut. Col B. Lowsley, Num. Chron. Sr III Vol. XV, 1895.
* The Coins of British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the reign of George VI 1952 Part 2 - Asian Territories by F. Pridmore Spink & Son Ltd., 1965. Tokens

The 600 dpi images are displayed at 200 dpi.
I thank Shiran Cruse, Kandy, Sri Lanka, for the scans of this token from his collection now with me.