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Token - 1 Penny, Mason & Culley, General Stores, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, circa 1855
Reg. No: NU 4080
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- Summary:
- Copper One Penny Token, mint unknown. Issued by Mason & Culley, General Stores, Williamstown, Victoria, circa 1855. Sharples notes that 'This token type is a pattern for an issue which was never placed into circulation' (Sharples, 1993). It is not until 1857 that Mason & Culley are listed in Melbourne Directories. In that year Mason was listed as a general dealer, and Culley as a clothier and draper, both in Nelson's Parade, Williamstown. Both men continued their businesses in Williamstown into the 1860s.
- Description:
- A round copper token (34 mm diameter). The token features the name, business and town of the issuer: Mason & Culley General Stores Williamstown. The reverse features Britannia seated facing right wearing a plumed Corinthian helmet and resting a trident against her right shoulder. Leaning behind her is an oval shield decorated with the Union Jack. She extends a pair of balanced scales with her left hand; above, VICTORIA
- Acquisition Information:
- Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), 1976
| Discipline: | Numismatics |
| Dimensions: | 34 mm (Diameter) |
| Weight: | 15.983 g (Weight) |
More information
| Tagged with: | import trade, retail trade, retailing |
| Themes this item is part of: | Mason & Culley, Retailers, Williamstown, Victoria, Numismatics & Philately Collection, Working Life & Trades Collection |
| Primary Classification: | TRADE TOKENS |
| Secondary Classification: | Australia - Victoria |
| Tertiary Classification: | working strikes |
| Series: | Trade Tokens |
| DateEra: | circa 1855 AD |
| Denomination: | 1 Penny |
| Obverse Description: | Across center within line circle in two lines, MASON / & / CULLEY around above, GENERAL STORES, around below, WILLIAMSTOWN |
| Reverse Description: | Britannia seated facing right wearing a plumed Corinthian helmet and resting a trident against her right shoulder. Leaning behind her is an oval shield decorated with the Union Jack. She extends a pair of balanced scales with her left hand; above, VICTORIA |
| Edge Description: | Plain |
| Inscriptions: | Obverse: MASON & CULLEY GENERAL STORES WILLIAMSTOWN Reverse: VICTORIA |
| Shape: | round |
| Material: | Copper |
| Issued By: | Mason & Culley, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia |
| Commissioned By: | Mason & Culley, Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, circa 1855 |
| Previous Collection: | A. Baldwin |
| References: |
Sharples, J., 'Catalogue of Victorian Trade Tokens,' in Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia, Vol. 7, December 1993, p.77. Hope, John. Mason & Culley. Unpublished MSS. 2005: 3 pps. Noble Numismatics Cat. Sale 96 5-8 April 2011 p. 71 Lot 920: notes from AH Baldwin's notebook. "The above piece is of the utmost rarity. The writer has a letter from Mr. Mason in which he states that the ship was wrecked on the voyage out and that he never received any tokens, so the one or two that are kmnown must be odd pieces retained by the makers or their workmen." Alfred Chitty Collection Catalogue 1923, p. 105, |
| Bibliography: |
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Themes
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