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1 Penny - John Howell - Hindley Street Adelaide, South Australia
| Issuer | John Howell (Bookseller, Adelaide) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Thickness | 2 mm |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central device depicting the Liver Bird, the heraldic symbol of Liverpool, shown in profile facing left and perched upon a twisted rope or cable, with wings raised and a sprig of foliage held in its beak. The bird is rendered in bold relief with detailed feathering. The surrounding legend LIVERPOOL arcs across the upper field and CHEAP BOOK DEPOT curves along the lower portion, all within a beaded border. The design alludes to John Howell's commercial connection to Liverpool book trade suppliers. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Howell operated his bookshop and stationery business on Hindley Street during a period when South Australia's colonial coinage supply was chronically inadequate — British regal copper rarely made it in sufficient quantity, and small change was perpetually short. Tradesmen's tokens filled the gap, and Adelaide's merchant community issued them prolifically through the 1850s. Howell's pieces were struck in Birmingham, almost certainly by the Heaton Mint, which supplied the bulk of Australian colonial copper tokens during this decade.
The Andrews, Rarity, and Gray references all catalog this as a legitimately scarce piece within the colonial token series.