This coin is a standard British copper penny. Coins like this were used in Melbourne until the early 1860s. In the early gold rush period they were legal tender throughout Australia. However, very few found their way from London, where they were made, to Melbourne. To overcome this problem, local merchants made their own small change. They used the same metal and weight for their tokens as the penny.

Click to enlarge. (69kb)

Click to enlarge. (68kb)


Obverse – Head of a young Queen Victoria and the date 1854. Around the head is the Latin legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA [Victoria by the grace of God].		Reverse – Britannia seated facing right, holding a trident and shield decorated with Union Jack. Below is a rose, thistle and shamrock. Continuing from the obverse is the Latin legend BRITANNIAR: REG: FID: DEF: [Queen of the Britons, defender of the faith].

Transferred from Melbourne Mint, 1978