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1 Penny - Annand Smith Melbourne, Victoria
| Issuer | Annand Smith & Co. |
|---|---|
| Year | 1849-1851 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Penny (1⁄240) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features a plain field bearing the merchant's commercial legend arranged in two registers: the firm name ANNAND SMITH & CO. curves along the upper and right periphery, while MELBOURNE arcs along the lower periphery, all within a continuous beaded border. The central field displays the two-line inscription FAMILY GROCERS in bold raised capital letters, identifying the trade of the issuing establishment. The design is entirely typographic with no pictorial device, characteristic of colonial merchant tokens of the mid-nineteenth century. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ANNAND SMITH & Co FAMILY GROCERS MELBOURNE |
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| Additional information |
Annand Smith & Co. operated as a general merchant in early Melbourne at a moment when the colonial copper supply was genuinely inadequate for day-to-day commerce. The discovery of gold at Ballarat and Bendigo in 1851 made the problem acute — bullion flooded in while small change remained scarce, and tradesmen like Annand Smith filled the gap with privately issued tokens. This was legally tolerated in Victoria until the colonial government moved to suppress private coinage in the mid-1850s.
The Andrews and Gray references list two distinct varieties, indicating at least two separate die commissions during the issue window.