David Anderson arrived in the New Zealand city of Wellington in 1849. Although Anderson had planned to travel to Auckland, he was attracted to a property for sale on Wellington's water front and established his general store there in Willis Street.

Numismatist A.F. Robb suggests that he may have been the first trader in New Zealand to offer a mail order system, and he did so very profitably. In 1862 he opened a second store which his son David (one of the founder's thirteen children) ran for him. In addition to his own business, Anderson was also a founding member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce.

Anderson issued both penny and half penny tokens, struck for him by Heaton & Sons of Birmingham. The exact date of their issue is not known, but the Museum Victoria catalogue gives a date of circa 1858.

References:
Robb, A.F. (1972). 'Currency tokens and Wellington Tradesmen', The New Zealand Numismatic Journal, May, pp. 68-69.

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