Tasmanian coin

[Adilson]

I consider it a coin because it circulated and made payments, from my personal collection.

1 Penny - Robert Andrew Mather, Family Draper Hobart; Tasmania

Issuer   Tasmania (Australian States)
Queen   Victoria (1837-1901)
Type   Token
Value   1 Penny (1⁄240)
Currency   Pound sterling (1788-1900)
Composition   Copper
Diameter   34 mm
Shape   Round
Technique   Milled
Demonetized   Yes
Number   N#151835Help
References   KM# Tn163
Obverse
In the center is a woman (Justice) with a bandage over her eyes and a scale in her right hand, looking to the left, in the background the ship is sailing to the left, legend around

Script: Latin

Lettering: TASMANIA

Reverse
Text only

Script: Latin

Lettering:
R. ANDREW MATHER
FAMILY
DRAPER
& c.
Hobart Town

Comments
Token - 1 Penny, Robert Andrew Mather, Family Draper, Hobart, Tasmania
A round copper token (34 mm diameter) featuring the name and business of the company which issued the tokens: R. Andrew Mather & Co. Hobart Town, Family Drapers. The reverse depicts a female figure representing Justice standing facing 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 is draped to near the elbow while drapery falls from her extended arm to below the horizon line behind; around above, TASMANIA. A three-masted sailing ship on horizon at left of token.

[Figleaf]

This is indeed a penny token. There is a whole series of these, issued from 1849, demonetised between 1863 and 1868. As they saw such a long period of of intense circulation, they are seldom offered in good grade. They are listed in the Rennik guides.

They came about following the failure of the home country to provide coinage for the growing population of Australia. The coppers replaced rum and to an extent cattle and women as currency. Official copper coins came about only as copper was found in Australia.

Peter