Summary

Bronze One Penny Token, minted by Heaton & Sons, Birmignham. Issued by J.R. Grundy, Tobacco Merchant, Ballarat, 1861. John R. Grundy, arrived in Melbourne in January 1855. He opened a tobacconist's shop in 1856, in Ballarat, and was the principal tobacconist in the town. Gardner states that Grundy lost his shop in 1872 after speculating heavily. Afterwards he made his living by selling 'colonial cigars' in Melbourne and died in straightened circumstances in the early 1900s.

Physical Description

A round copper token (34 mm diameter). The token features the name address and business of the issuer: J.R. Grundy Ballarat Merchant together with a cutting from a tobacco plant The reverse features 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. A three-masted sailing ship on horizon at left of token. This token has inverted letter V employed as a letter A on the reverse. It has been cleaned and varnished.

Obverse Description

Branch of Tobacco depicting flowers & leaves; around, J.R.GRUNDY MERCHANT BALLARAT . 1861 . Large die crack from rim 01 to rim 06 through plant

Reverse Description

Female figure representing Justice standing facing left within wide raised border with beading around inside. 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. A three-masted sailing ship on horizon at left of token. Around on wide raised border, INDUSTRIA ET FIDES OMNIA VINCET . VICTORIA .

Edge Description

Plain

More Information

  • Collection Names

    Alfred Chitty Collection

  • Collecting Areas

    Numismatics & Philately, Sustainable Futures, Working Life & Trades

  • Acquisition Information

    Transfer from National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Mr Alfred Chitty, 15 Mar 1976

  • Date Issued

    1861 AD

  • Issued By

    J R. Grundy - Tobacco Merchant, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 1861

  • Mint

    Heaton & Sons (Mint)

  • Previous Collection

    Mr Alfred Chitty

  • Inscriptions

    Obverse: J.R. GRUNDY MERCHANT BALLARAT 1861 Reverse: INDUSTRIA ET FIDES OMNIA VINCET VICTORIA

  • Denomination

    1 Penny

  • Series

    Trade Tokens

  • Material

    Bronze

  • Axis

    12

  • Classification

    Trade tokens, Australia - victoria, Working strikes

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    Numismatics

  • Type of item

    Object

  • Dimensions

    34 mm (Outside Diameter), 14.187 g (Weight)

  • Shape

    Round

  • References

    Neither Andrews or Heyde note the use of inverted V's for A's on the reverse - is there another die combination? Grundy issued two quite different token designs dated 1861. The first (see NU 3764) depicted a tobacco plant growing from grassy ground combined with a Coat of Arms while the second (this token) depicted a cut stalk of flowering tobacco and a standing figure representing Justice. This issue employed two slightly different obverse dies which can be differentiated by the shape of the first bud on the right side of the stalk and the position of the growth of the first flower bud in relation to the central veins of the large leaf on the right. Obverse B has the first bud opening at right angles and the flower emerging entirely below the central vein. Obverse C has the first bud still largely closed and the flower emerging above the central vein. In addtion there were two reverse dies - Reverse 3 on which all letter A's are A with cross bar, and Reverse 4 where all letter A's are in fact an inverted V with no cross bar. This token was struck with die combination C/4. Andrews 158 and Heyde 88/2 record the die combination C/3 but the Museum variety of this was C/4 - does C/3 occur?
    [Book] Andrews, Arthur. 1921. Australasian Tokens and Coins., No. 158
    [Book] Heyde, Gilbert C. & Skinner, Dion H. 1967. Unofficial Coins of Colonial Australia and New Zealand., No. 88/2
    [Article] Sharples, John P. 1993. A Catalogue of the Trade Tokens of Victoria 1848 to 1862. Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. vol.7: p.1-77., V. 4

  • Keywords

    Agriculture, Retail Trade, Retailing, Tobacco