Catalog
1 Penny - Clark, Archibald Auckland
| Issuer | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Merchant trade token obverse displaying the issuer's details arranged in concentric circular legends within a beaded border. The outermost legend reads ARCHIBALD CLARK around the upper periphery and DRAPER around the lower periphery, with AUCKLAND and SHORTLAND arranged radially in the inner ring, and STREET inscribed horizontally across the central field. The lettering is rendered in bold serifed capitals throughout, characteristic of mid-Victorian colonial token engraving. |
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| Obverse lettering | ARCHIBALD CLARK SHORTLAND STREET AUCKLAND DRAPER |
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| Additional information |
Archibald Auckland Clark was a Dunedin merchant who issued this token during a period when official copper coinage was chronically absent from the New Zealand colonies — the British government having made no provision for low-denomination circulation currency. Private traders filled the gap themselves, commissioning tokens from engravers in Britain and Australia. Clark's issue was struck in Birmingham, almost certainly by the firm of Joseph Moore, who produced a substantial proportion of the New Zealand provincial token series in the 1850s.