Lipman Levy was a Wellington storekeeper who issued copper tokens during the acute small-change shortage that plagued New Zealand's early colonial economy in the 1850s and 1860s. The "Late Restrike" designation places this piece outside normal commerce entirely — restrikes were produced after the original token's commercial life, typically using surviving dies, and were made for collectors rather than circulation. The distinction matters: genuine Levy merchant tokens saw hard use in Wellington trade, while this piece did not.
Andrews 324 / Gray 162c is a well-documented variety in the New Zealand token literature, with the "Pattern" classification adding further ambiguity to its precise production origin.
Lipman Levy was a Wellington storekeeper who issued copper tokens during the acute small-change shortage that plagued New Zealand's early colonial economy in the 1850s and 1860s. The "Late Restrike" designation places this piece outside normal commerce entirely — restrikes were produced after the original token's commercial life, typically using surviving dies, and were made for collectors rather than circulation. The distinction matters: genuine Levy merchant tokens saw hard use in Wellington trade, while this piece did not.
Andrews 324 / Gray 162c is a well-documented variety in the New Zealand token literature, with the "Pattern" classification adding further ambiguity to its precise production origin.