Melbourne 1851 1/2 penny token KM-Tn244

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Stack's Bowers October 2024 Collector's Choice sale, lot 74425
SB1024-74425r.jpg

This specimen was lot 74425 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2024), where it sold for $125. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRALIA. Melbourne. W. J. Taylor Copper 1/2 Penny Token, 1851. Victoria. NGC AU-53. Diameter: 28mm. Obverse: Kangaroo right with inscription below; Reverse: Seated Britannia left. Mild signs of wear are visible at the high points of the umber brown devices." 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 is not the only token credited to W. J. Taylor, see also KM-Tn282.1.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 8.4 g, copper, 28.5 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM-Tn244.

Source:

  • Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
  • McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
  • [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, October 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the S.P. Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.

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