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1/2 Penny - J. Macgregor Sydney, New South Wales
| Issuer | J. Macgregor, Sydney |
|---|---|
| Year | 1868 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is entirely typographic in design, featuring no pictorial elements. The peripheral legend THE CITY TEA WAREHOUSE curves along the upper rim within a beaded border, while the issuer's name J. MACGREGOR arches prominently across the upper central field. Below, in three lines occupying the centre of the coin, the address 320, GEORGE STREET SYDNEY is inscribed in bold raised lettering. Three small floral or rosette ornaments are evenly spaced along the lower inner rim, providing decorative punctuation. The entire design is contained within a continuous beaded inner circle. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Macgregor operated as a tobacconist in Sydney, and like dozens of colonial traders in New South Wales during the 1860s, issued his own copper tokens to alleviate the chronic shortage of small British regal coinage reaching the colonies. The imperial mint supplied far too little low-denomination currency for a fast-growing commercial economy at the edge of empire, and tradesmen effectively filled the gap themselves.
Andrews 340 is among the better-documented of the Sydney merchant issues, cross-referenced consistently across the three major antipodean token catalogues — a degree of agreement that itself reflects how thoroughly this series has been studied since the 1960s.