Alfred Nicholas Hobart was a Hobart merchant who issued this tradesman's token during a period of acute small-change shortage in the Australian colonies — the British government had failed to supply sufficient regal coinage, leaving colonial commerce dependent on a chaotic mix of private copper tokens. Hobart's issue was among dozens circulating simultaneously in Tasmania alone during the early 1860s.
The Andrews and Renniks reference numbers indicate two die varieties are documented for this issue.
Alfred Nicholas Hobart was a Hobart merchant who issued this tradesman's token during a period of acute small-change shortage in the Australian colonies — the British government had failed to supply sufficient regal coinage, leaving colonial commerce dependent on a chaotic mix of private copper tokens. Hobart's issue was among dozens circulating simultaneously in Tasmania alone during the early 1860s.
The Andrews and Renniks reference numbers indicate two die varieties are documented for this issue.