When Currency was Medium for Advertisements

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 186, 27 October 1927, Page 15

When Currency was Medium for Advertisements

City Firms' “Pennies” Recall Early History AUCKLANDER’S COLLECTION ADVERTISING may have progressed since the 19th century, but one valuable medium is missing now. No longer do business houses coin their “pennies” and have them accepted as currency of the realm. There w'as a great output of copper and brass tokens between 1857 and 1881, and occasionally a suburban delver or a city tram-guard comes on one of them. Their currency value gone, they are of interest only to the numismatist, who is willing to pay a few shillings for the less common of them or even a few pounds for the rarest. The opportunity to have their tokens struck came to the firms during a shortage in the copper currency. The only restriction seems to have been that each token should be made of a penny’s or a halfpenny's weight of metal. The earliest tokens issued in New Zealand seem to have been _ the “pennies” struck in 1857 by "Archibald Clark,” and “M. Somerville,” both of Auckland. Other firms which issued their coins were H. Ashton (1862-3), Licensed Victuallers (1871), Charles C. Barley (1858), S. Coombes, T. S. Forsaith (1858), B. Gittos (1864), R. Gratten (1872), Holland and Butler, Morris Marks, Morrln and Co., S. Hague Smith, United Service Hotel and Edward Waters. BEAUTY OF DESIGN One of the finest collections of New Zealand tokens is held by Mr. J. C. Entrican of Mount Albert, Auckland’s authority of numismatics. Showing the tokens to a SUN reporter, he said that none of them revealed any great beauty of design. The last set, struck in 1881 by Milner and Thompson, a musical firm of Christchurch, had eight varieties, and it was easily the most handsome issue. On the face was the head of a Maori chief and on the reverse side a native figure with a kiwi and a flax tree—all artisticallydrawn. For simplicity of design there was nothing to compare with the penny of Morris Marks, formerly a pawnbroker and salesman of Queen Street and Wellesley Street. This was made of brass and three raised lumps on the face represented the traditional golden balls of the profession. This token is a fairly rare one. One of Mr. Entrican’s prized pieces is a halfpenny token of Ashton’s, one side of which has been rubbed out and stamped “Queen Street Wharf toll 6d.” Mr. Entrican says that in the early days of settlement a toll gate was kept on'Queen’s Wharf by a Mr. Russell. The token had evidently been improved by him to serve as toll money. Another rare token was an oval strip of copper stamped “T.S.F.. Sixpence.” Mr. Entrican thinks that this must have been issued to its wharf carters by the firm of Thornton, Smith and Firth, millers. Mr. Russell would collect the tokens and receive payment for them at the firm’s office. PRIVATE PAPER MONEY Horse-bus proprietors, all proudlyclaiming on their tokens that they ran “safety lines,” are represented in the collection. They include William Crowther, McMillan and Young. Only' ono firm, Sims Brothers, drapers, went to the extent of issuing paper money. Five denominations. Is, Is 6d, 2s, 2s 6d and ss, were issued, but only one note is now in existence. It is in the Art Gallery. Most of the coins were struck in Birmingham, but some were produced by Thomas Stokes, of Melbourne. According to Mr. Entrican. the tokens have never been ruled out as illegal tender. Any- firm -which had issued them would be bound to accept them. . ~ _ , . Among many medallions Mr. Entrican has sets of money- pieces issued by the Manawatu, Wairarapa. Taranaki and United Farmers’ Co-operative Associations, probably as discount counters.