Description
merchant / trade token issued by J. MacGregor, associated with The City Tea Warehouse and The Sultan’s Steam Coffee Works.
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It was struck in bronze, likely by Heaton & Sons, Birmingham (a UK mint) for use circa 1868.
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One example is catalogued as a 1 penny token, 31 mm in diameter.
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There is also a ½ penny variant known.
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The token is historically significant because it is believed to be one of the last tokens issued in New South Wales. The tokens arrived about the same time the NSW government moved to demonetise private tokens, so many were scrapped.
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In the case of the 1 penny token, the reverse bears the Coat of Arms of New South Wales, with motto Advance Australia.
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On the obverse is the name and address: “THE CITY TEA WAREHOUSE / J. MACGREGOR / 320, GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY”.
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For the halfpenny version, similar inscriptions appear: “THE CITY TEA WAREHOUSE / J. MACGREGOR / 320, GEORGE STREET / SYDNEY”, with the reverse matching the coffee / NSW arms motif.
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