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1 Penny - Edward Reece Christchurch
| Issuer | Edward Reece |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| 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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| Obverse description | The obverse bears an all-text design within a beaded border. The issuer's name EDWARD REECE curves along the upper periphery in bold serif lettering. The central field carries a multi-line legend reading WHOLESALE / AND RETAIL / BUILDERS / AND FURNISHING / IRONMONGER / BIRMINGHAM / AND SHEFFIELD / WAREHOUSE / CHRISTCHURCH / CANTERBURY / N.Z., identifying the merchant's trade and locations. No pictorial device is present; the entire design consists of commercial advertising text rendered in block capital letters. The token was issued in multiple die varieties distinguished by the relative positions of specific letters in the obverse legend. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays a pastoral scene set against a beaded border. At left, a large native New Zealand flax bush (Phormium tenax) is depicted growing from a basket or stump, rendered in fine engraved detail. At right, a seated male figure, likely a colonist or farmer, bends forward in a working posture, possibly engaged in harvesting or tending the land. The legend ADVANCE CANTERBURY curves around the upper periphery, while NEW ZEALAND arcs along the lower periphery, together expressing a patriotic sentiment toward the Canterbury province. The scene alludes to the agricultural and colonial development of New Zealand. |
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| Additional information |
Edward Reece operated as a draper in Christchurch during the provincial token era of the 1850s and 1860s, when the colonial government's chronic shortage of small change left New Zealand merchants little choice but to commission their own copper issues from British diesinkers. Reece's tokens were struck in Birmingham, as were the vast majority of New Zealand merchant pieces. Andrews and Renniks each catalogue three distinct varieties for this issuer, suggesting at least minor die variations across the run.