token; trade 1 penny (Australia)
Production date
1855
Description
One penny trade token. On the obverse is written "A. TOOGOOD MERCHANT PITT KING ST. SYDNEY" and on the reverse is the female representation of Justice with the balanced scales and a inverted cornucopia from which fruit flows. She is seated on a wool bale with a wine barrel on the ground behind her with a cross on its end hinting at the Union Jack. A three masted ship sails to the right on the left side. This token was thought to have been minted by W.J. Taylor of London.
Alfred Toogood was a publican of the Rainbow Tavern from 1855-1867 and was nominated as a candidate for the Sydney Council in 1857.
These tokens were part of a system of unofficial currency in the Australian colonies due to a currency shortage in spurred on by the gold rushes and population growth. The token were usually penny and halfpenny in value and were minted in Australia and Britain.
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