Alfred Davies operated his pawnbroking business in Fremantle during the 1860s, a period when the Swan River Colony's official copper coinage was perpetually insufficient for small retail transactions. Tradesmen across the Australian colonies routinely commissioned private token issues to fill the gap — Davies among dozens of merchants who turned to Birmingham diesinkers, almost certainly John Sheratt or one of his contemporaries, to supply the shortfall. Western Australian merchant tokens are considerably scarcer than their eastern colonial equivalents, reflecting the colony's smaller commercial base and population at the time.
The Andrews, Renniks, and Gray references all catalog this piece, with KM#Tn282 confirming its recognized status among colonial Australian trade tokens.
Alfred Davies operated his pawnbroking business in Fremantle during the 1860s, a period when the Swan River Colony's official copper coinage was perpetually insufficient for small retail transactions. Tradesmen across the Australian colonies routinely commissioned private token issues to fill the gap — Davies among dozens of merchants who turned to Birmingham diesinkers, almost certainly John Sheratt or one of his contemporaries, to supply the shortfall. Western Australian merchant tokens are considerably scarcer than their eastern colonial equivalents, reflecting the colony's smaller commercial base and population at the time.
The Andrews, Renniks, and Gray references all catalog this piece, with KM#Tn282 confirming its recognized status among colonial Australian trade tokens.