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1/2 Penny -Hurley, J. and Co. Wanganui
| Issuer | J. Hurley & Co., Wanganui |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | A classically draped female figure is seated facing left at centre, resting her right arm upon a beehive and holding an anchor upright with her left hand, with a cornucopia overflowing with produce at her feet. A sailing ship appears in the background to the right, evoking themes of commerce, industry, and maritime trade. The design is executed in high relief within a beaded border, consistent with mid-nineteenth century British colonial token coinage. |
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| Obverse lettering | CONFECTIONERS BAKERS & GROCERS SHIPPING SUPPLIED J. HURLEY & CO. WANGANUI NEW ZEALAND ESTABLISHED 1853 |
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| Additional information |
Hurley's token was issued during New Zealand's acute small-change shortage of the 1850s and 1860s, when the colonial government had neither the infrastructure nor the political will to supply adequate regal coinage to provincial towns. Wanganui merchants were left to solve the problem themselves. J. Hurley & Co. operated as a general trader, and tokens like this one circulated as genuine transactional currency rather than as promotional novelties — shopkeepers depended on them to make change.
The Andrews and Renniks references place this among the better-documented provincial issues, though surviving examples in collectible condition are not plentiful given the hard daily use these pieces saw on the colonial frontier.