Catalog
1 Penny - Samuel Henry Tasmania
| Issuer | Tasmania |
|---|---|
| Year | 1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound sterling (1788-1900) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Samuel Henry operated a general store in Hobart and issued these copper tokens in 1857 to address a chronic shortage of small change that plagued Van Diemen's Land — renamed Tasmania just three years earlier — long before a reliable supply of imperial or colonial coinage reached the island in sufficient quantities. Private merchant tokens filled the gap so effectively that they circulated alongside official coinage with broad public acceptance.
The Andrews, Renniks, and Gray references all catalog this piece, reflecting the serious attention Australian numismatists have given Tasmania's token coinage, which is among the most systematically documented of any colonial series.