1 Penny - William Pratt Christchurch

William Pratt operated a hardware and general merchandise business in Christchurch during the 1850s and 60s, issuing these tokens at a time when the Canterbury Province suffered chronic shortages of official British coinage. Colonial authorities were slow to supply adequate small change to the South Island settlements, leaving merchants to fill the gap themselves. Pratt's tokens circulated widely enough that Andrews catalogues at least fourteen distinct varieties, reflecting multiple die commissions — likely from Birmingham tradesmen suppliers — over an extended period of issue.