1 Penny - Gittos, B. Auckland

Benjamin Gittos operated a general store in Auckland during the early 1860s, a period when the provincial government's failure to supply adequate small change forced New Zealand merchants to commission their own copper tokens from British manufacturers — almost certainly Heaton's Mint in Birmingham, the dominant supplier for antipodean trade tokens of this decade. The colonial banking infrastructure simply couldn't keep pace with a gold rush economy and the demands of the Waikato Land Wars period, which disrupted normal commerce throughout the North Island.

The Reiter references R#149 and R#154 suggest at least two distinct varieties exist for this issuer, likely differing in die details or edge treatment.