Catalog
1 Penny - W. Petersen Christchurch
| Issuer | W. Petersen, Christchurch |
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| Year | |
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| Currency | Trade tokens (1857-1881) |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears the word AND in raised capital letters within a plain inner circle, surrounded by a beaded inner border. The merchant's legend encircles the periphery in two concentric bands of raised capital lettering, reading W. PETERSEN : HIGH ST CHRISTCHURCH: WATCHMAKER AND JEWELLER, separated by a beaded outer border at the rim. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | W. PETERSEN : HIGH ST CHRISTCHURCH: WATCHMAKER AND JEWELLER |
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| Additional information |
W. Petersen operated as a merchant in Christchurch during the 1870s, a period when the chronic shortage of official small change in New Zealand drove dozens of provincial traders to commission their own copper tokens. These pieces were struck in Birmingham — almost certainly by the prolific token manufacturer John Thornton — and shipped out for local circulation. The Andrews, Roth, and Gray references all catalogue this piece, indicating it has been well-documented across the three major works on New Zealand tradesman's tokens, though Petersen himself remains a comparatively obscure figure in the historical record.