Catalog
1 Penny - Perkins and Co. Dunedin
| Issuer | Perkins & Co., Dunedin |
|---|---|
| Year | |
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| Composition | Bronze |
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| Reverse description | A seated female allegorical figure, representing Commerce or Britannia, occupies the central field, shown in profile facing left. She holds a pair of scales in her extended right hand, symbolising justice and fair trade, while her left arm rests upon a cornucopia, emblematic of abundance. A sailing ship is depicted on the sea in the background to the left. The figure is seated on a plinth or rocky base, and the composition is rendered in a classical style. The circular border legend reads DUNEDIN NEW ZEALAND within a beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Perkins & Co. was a Dunedin ironmongery and hardware firm that issued tradesman's tokens during the acute small-change shortage that gripped Otago in the early 1860s, when gold rush population growth far outpaced the supply of official British coinage reaching the province. Most Otago merchant tokens of this period were struck in Birmingham, almost certainly by John Moore or one of the other Black Country diesinkers who dominated the colonial token trade at that moment.
Andrews 435 is not a rare piece, but genuine examples should show a clean, unbroken edge — poorly preserved specimens are sometimes confused with the closely catalogued Gray 226 variants.