Token - 1 Penny, E. De Carle & Co, Merchants, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand, 1862
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1862
Copper One Penny Token, minted by W.J. Taylor, London. Issued by E. De Carle & Co, Merchants, Dunedin, circa 1862. De Carle arrived in Australia in 1849. Over the following fourteen years he was involved in a wide range of business ventures in Melbourne, taking advantage of the explosive growth caused by the gold rush. He later moved to New Zealand, where established this business. Lampard (p.40) reports that De Carle wrote to the 'Daily Telegraph' on 18 Feb 1862 to advise the public that his tokens would circulate as halfpennies not as pennies. De Carle's three different tokens, which featured his business as 'Grocers and Spirit Merchants,' 'Auctioneers and Land Agents' and 'Auctioneers, etc.,' indicated the range of his business activities and speculation. He was also involved in the urbanisation of Footscray and a section of Brunswick. De Carle operated his businesses with a number of partners, in a network of business dealings.
Previous Collections: National Gallery of Victoria A round copper token (31 mm diameter). The token features the name, address and business of the issuer: E. DeCarle & Co., Merchants, Dunedin, Otago around the British Royal Arms. The reverse depicts a female figure representing Justice seated on a wool bale with legs to left but her head and upper body to front. A wine barrel lies on the ground behind her and a three-masted sailing ship sails away to the leftt on the horizon to the left. She wears a blindfold and extends a balanced set of scales with her right hand. With her left she holds an inverted cornucopia from which fruits flow onto the ground. She wears an ancient-style of flowing dress bound at the waist, her left arm bare and right draped to near the elbow. This token has been cleaned and varnished.
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
- 31 mm (Outside Diameter), 9.205 g (Weight)
Technical characteristics
- Series
- Trade Tokens
- Die axis
- 12
- Date issued
- 1862 AD
- Denomination
- 1 Penny
- Mint recorded
- W.J.Taylor, Mint (London, England, Great Britain)
- Issuer recorded
- E. De Carle & Co. Merchants (Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand)
Design
- Obverse
- Around the British Royal Arms in a Gothic script, E DE CARLE & CO MERCHANTS . DUNEDIN OTAGO with the motto HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
- Reverse
- A female figure representing Justice seated on a wool bale with legs to left but her head and upper body to front. A wine barrel lies on the ground behind her and a three-masted sailing ship sails away to the left on the horizon to the left. She wears a blindfold and extends a balanced set of scales with her right hand. With her left she holds an inverted cornucopia from which fruits flow onto the ground. She wears an ancient-style of flowing dress bound at the waist, her left arm bare and right draped to near the elbow. Around above, VIVANT REGINA in exergue, 1862
- Inscription
- Obverse: E DE CARLE & CO MERCHANTS DUNEDIN OTAGO HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE Reverse: VIVAT REGINA 1862
Identification
- Candidate id
- mv-69804
- Museum object number
- NU 3676
- Catalogue references (museum record)
- The DeCarle, Dunedin issue of tokens required one obverse and three reverse dies for it's production. Identification of the die combination employed to make a particular token is the key to both the standard references and the museum storage system. The dies can be recognised by:; Obverse; A D of DUNEDIN re-entered; Reverse T to R top of scales to Die cracked; 1 2.0 mm 1.2 mm below V right side of A of REGINA; 2 2.8 mm V to scales etc.; 3 3.0 mm 0.5 mm below V to right shoulder of Justice; The following die combinations have been recorded: A/1, A/2 (this token), A/3
- 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.