John Gilmour operated as a general merchant in New Plymouth during the 1870s, issuing these tradesman's tokens to address the chronic shortage of small copper coinage in provincial New Zealand — a problem the colonial government had repeatedly failed to solve. The Auckland Mint struck several of these provincial merchant tokens during this period, though the exact run for Gilmour's issue remains unclear from surviving records.
The Andrews and Robson reference numbers span multiple die varieties, with Gray distinguishing at least two obverse states (81 and 81a).
John Gilmour operated as a general merchant in New Plymouth during the 1870s, issuing these tradesman's tokens to address the chronic shortage of small copper coinage in provincial New Zealand — a problem the colonial government had repeatedly failed to solve. The Auckland Mint struck several of these provincial merchant tokens during this period, though the exact run for Gilmour's issue remains unclear from surviving records.
The Andrews and Robson reference numbers span multiple die varieties, with Gray distinguishing at least two obverse states (81 and 81a).