Catalog
1 Penny - E.F. Dease Launceston, Tasmania
| Issuer | E.F. Dease |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Emergency coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts a full-bodied ram standing to the left in the central field, its fleece rendered in fine detail. Above the ram, a pineapple surmounts a staff or pole adorned with a flowing ribbon or drape. The peripheral legend, in Latin, reads SIC VOS NON VOBIS VELLERA FERTIS OVES (meaning 'thus you bear fleeces, sheep, not for yourselves'), a classical quotation alluding to the wool trade, separated by a small ornamental stop at the base. The design is enclosed within a fine dentilated border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | SIC VOS NON VOBIS VELLERA FERTIS OVES + |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Edward Francis Dease operated as a merchant in Launceston during the 1850s token boom, when chronic shortages of official British regal coinage in the Australian colonies forced local traders to commission their own copper pieces. The colonial authorities in Van Diemen's Land — renamed Tasmania in 1856 — were slow to resolve the supply problem, leaving private issuers like Dease to fill the gap entirely at their own commercial risk.
The Andrews, Rarity, and Gray catalog references place this piece firmly within the documented Tasmanian merchant token series, though Dease tokens appear less frequently in dealer stocks than comparable Hobart issues, suggesting more limited original distribution or heavier attrition in circulation.