Token - Halfpenny, Smith, Peate & Co, Grocers, Tea & Wine Merchants, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, circa 1857
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
circa 1857
Copper Halfpenny token, minted by Heaton & Sons of Birmingham, circa 1857. Issued by Smith, Peate & Co. Grocers, Tea & Wine Merchants in Sydney. In 1855 Thomas Peate and Alfred Harcourt joined Edward A. Smith to form Smith, Peate and Co., Shipping and Family Grocers and Wine Merchants, in Sydney. Peate and Smith's grandfathers, Captain George Peate and William Smith, had been the owners of a trading vessel Sally from 1820-1825. During the 1860s the business did well and claimed the patronage of 'His Excellency, the Governor in Chief.' In 1880 the business became Peate and Harcourt. In 1886 W.H. Peate, son of Thomas, moved the business to larger premises, and in 1893 T.J. Turton became a partner in the firm. The Smiths and Harcourt had all retired from the business by this time. The business closed in 1897 and the building was demolished.
Previous Collections: National Gallery of Victoria A round copper token (28 mm diameter). The token design featuring the name, address, business and foundation date of the issuer: Smith, Peate and Co., 258 & 260 George Street Sydney, grocers, tea dealers, wine merchants. The reverse depicts Justice standing facing left, blindfolded and extending balanced scales from her right hand, her left hand rests on an inverted cornucopiae from which fruits flow. A sailing ship is seen on the horizon to the left of the figure. This token has been cleaned and varnished.
This was part of a large issuer of tokens production of which involved four obverse and three reverse dies. The obverse of all dies bore the same legend. This die was characterised by the letters of the words WINE MERCHANTS being 24.5 mm long; 126 dots around the edge and the A of TEA being 1.7 mm from the D of DEALERS. This die had chipped slightly at the rim to the left of SYDNEY when this token was struck. The reverse die is characterised by the distance of the start and end of the word ESTABLISHED to the horizon is: E to sea 9.8 mm, D to sea 9.6 mm; border of 113 dots. The scale bar extended would pass just under the E and through the D of ESTABLISHED.
See notes tab for a table of other die variations.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Edge
- Plain
- Shape
- Round
- Material
- Copper
- Dimensions
- 28 mm (Outside Diameter), 7.769 g (Weight)
Technical characteristics
- Series
- Trade Tokens
- Die axis
- 12
- Date issued
- circa 1857 AD
- Denomination
- Halfpenny
- Mint recorded
- Heaton & Sons (Mint) (Birmingham, England, Great Britain)
- Issuer recorded
- Smith, Peate & Co. (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)
Design
- Obverse
- SMITH, PEATE & Co. / GROCERS / TEA DEALERS / & / WINE MERCHANTS / 258 & 260 / GEORGE ST. / SYDNEY
- Reverse
- The reverse depicts Justice standing facing left, blindfolded and extending balanced scales from her right hand, her left hand rests on an inverted cornucopiae from which fruits flow. A sailing ship is seen on the horizon to the left of the figure. Above ESTABLISHED, in exergue, 1836.
- Inscription
- Obverse: SMITH, PEATE & Co. GROCERS TEA DEALERS & WINE MERCHANTS 258 & 260 GEORGE ST. SYDNEY Reverse: ESTABLISHED 1836
Identification
- Candidate id
- mv-54387
- Museum object number
- NU 4331
- Catalogue references (museum record)
- The dies employed in this series are generally poorly described employing the minor variations of alignments of letter. Chitty uses phrases like "perhaps a trifle more under the E" catalogue p. 42 , Andrews ""The & is slightly to the right of E in line above the verticle line of which if continued would pass between OC of GROCERS. p. 84, and Heyde warns " Students should not take these descriptions too seriously. Not all of the pieces have been assembled and some of the descriptions have been worked out from those given by Andrews and, particularly Chitty" p. 71.; Table of obverse die variations. This token struck with dies G/3.; Die WINE MERCHANTS A to D Rim dots Notes; F 24.0 mm 1.2 mm 122 This die chipped at 04 see NU 4322; G 24.5 mm 1.7 mm 126 This die chipped at 07 see NU 4323; H 24.9 mm 2.0 mm 128 T of St is re-entered see NU 4324; I 24.6 mm 2.0 mm ? see NU 4330; Table of reverse die variations; Die E to sea D to sea Rim dots Extension of scale bar; 2 8.5 mm 9.0 mm 113 through E above D see NU 11701
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type and source attribution against specialist references.