Adelaide (1857) penny token KM-129

From CoinVarieties
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Steve Album sale 55, lot 3506

This specimen was lot 3506 in Steve Album Auction 55 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $360. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRALIA: AE penny token, ND (1857), Liverpool Cheap Book Depot, John Howell, bookseller of Hindley Street, Adelaide, liver bird standing left with open wings, clutching branch in its beak, with traces of original red luster, PCGS graded MS62 BN." Filling a shortage of coinage in the expanding economy, private tokens flourished until finally being banned in the 1870's. The SCWC lists nearly three hundred varieties. Today most are very scarce. While half penny tokens were very common in Great Britain (especially the Conder tokens), most Australian tokens were of the penny denomination, perhaps a result of higher prices. This example sold for one-third of the catalog value. The liver bird is a mythical creature that is the symbol of the English city of Liverpool. A variety exists with the address given as "RUNDLE ST" instead of "HINDLEY ST".

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 15.5 g, copper, 34 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM-Tn129, Andrews-275, R-279, Gray-134.

Sources:

  • McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
  • Pitt, Michael, Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 32nd Edition, Matraville, New South Wales, Australia: Renniks Publications, 2023.
  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Hanbing Feng, Auction 55, featuring Selections from the Swamperbob Gurney Collection of Cap & Ray 8 Reales, the Kenneth A. Bovenkamp Collection of Ottoman Coins and the 1914 Collection of World Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2026.

Links:

Retrieved from "https://coinvarieties.com/index.php?title=Adelaide_(1857)_penny_token_KM-129&oldid=653140"