Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Penny Jones and Williamson, Dunedin
| Issuer | Jones & Williamson, Dunedin |
|---|---|
| Year | 1858 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 18.2 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | A seated allegorical female figure, representing Commerce or Justice, occupies the central field, shown in three-quarter view facing left. She extends her left arm to hold a pair of balanced scales, symbolic of fair trade, while her right hand rests upon a large cog wheel at her side; a sailing ship appears in low relief in the left background. The figure is draped in classical robes and wears a diadem. The curved legend NEW ZEALAND arches above along the inner border, with the date 1858 positioned centrally in the lower segment, all within a continuous beaded border. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears an entirely typographic design within a beaded border. The firm name JONES & WILLIAMSON curves along the upper periphery as a prominent circular legend. The central field contains five lines of bold serif lettering reading WHOLESALE & / RETAIL / GROCERS, / WINE, SPIRIT, / & PROVISION / MERCHANTS, describing the nature of the business. The place name DUNEDIN is inscribed along the lower margin, completing the commercial advertisement. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Jones & Williamson operated as general merchants in Dunedin during the chaotic early years of Otago Province, when the colonial government had not yet established a reliable supply of small change. British regal copper rarely reached the settlement in sufficient quantity, and private traders who could source token coinage from Birmingham die-sinkers effectively controlled day-to-day retail transactions. This piece was struck by one of the Birmingham trade token manufacturers — almost certainly John Moore or a competitor in the same district — and shipped out as commercial inventory rather than commissioned currency.
The R#308 reference places it within Renniks' New Zealand token classification. Few businesses from this cohort survived long enough to redeem their tokens in any volume.