1 Penny Somerville, M. - Auckland

Somerville & Co. were Auckland importers and general merchants who issued this token during the severe small-change shortage that plagued New Zealand's colonial economy in the 1850s. The colonial government had no mint, British regal coinage was chronically undersupplied, and private traders across Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin filled the gap themselves. Somerville's issue falls under Rennick's 481–484 range, indicating multiple die combinations exist — collectors assembling a complete set of the type will find certain pairings considerably harder to locate than others.