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1 Penny - Iredale and Co. - Britannia Sydney, New South Wales
| Issuer | Iredale & Co. |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | IRON MERCHANTS AND GENERAL IRON MONGERS * ESTABLISHED 1820 IREDALE & Co. 1820 -.- SYDNEY |
| Reverse description | The reverse depicts the seated figure of Britannia, helmeted and draped, facing left in the classical allegorical tradition. She extends her left hand forward holding an olive branch, while her right hand rests upon a trident leaning against her shoulder. A Union shield rests against her right side, and a small sailing vessel appears in the lower left field. The legend BRITANNIA arcs across the upper field, and the whole design is contained within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Iredale & Co. was a Sydney ironmongery and general hardware merchant operating in the mid-nineteenth century, and like many colonial businesses of the 1850s and 1860s, issued its own copper trade token to address the chronic shortage of small change in New South Wales before a reliable supply of imperial coinage reached the colony in sufficient quantity. These merchant tokens circulated alongside official currency by informal consent rather than legal sanction — tolerated, not approved.
Andrews 291 is among the better-documented Sydney merchant pieces, cross-referenced consistently across the three major Australian token catalogues without significant attribution disputes. The Britannia type was a deliberate choice signaling commercial legitimacy to a colonial population still strongly oriented toward Britain.