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1 Penny - Hide and De Carle Melbourne, Victoria
| Issuer | Hide & De Carle |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857-1858 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Copper |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | At centre, a passant lion rests its forepaw upon a heraldic shield, rendered in bold relief within a plain inner circle. This central device is encircled by two concentric rings of text separated by a dotted border, with the outer legend reading HIDE & DE CARLE • GROCERS & WINE MERCHANTS • and the inner ring reading ELIZABETH STREET • MELBOURNE •. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded outer border, presenting the tradesman's address and business identity in clear, well-spaced capital lettering. |
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| Additional information |
Hide & De Carle operated as a hardware merchant in Melbourne during the gold rush years, when the colonial government's chronic failure to supply adequate small change forced private traders to issue their own copper tokens. These pieces circulated as functional currency across Victoria at a time when a genuine penny was almost impossible to find in daily commerce. The firm's token was struck in Birmingham — almost certainly by the Heaton Mint, which produced the overwhelming majority of Australian tradesman's tokens during this period.
Gray #107 is among the better-documented Victorian private issues, though die varieties exist within the series.