Summary

Copper Halfpenny Token, minted by W.J. Taylor, London. Issued by I. Friedman, Pawnbroker, Hobart, Tasmania, in 1857. Isaac Friedman, was living in Hobart by 1840 and commenced business as a shopkeeper and general Pawnbroker in 1843. He had married Maria Nathan in 1842 and they had eight children, all born in the Hobart area, between 1842 and 1858. Friedman was a significant person in the Hobart Jewish community, in 1842, he kept a public house where the meeting was held that led to the construction of the Hobart Synagogue. His name is recorded on a tablet inside the Synagogue as one of the members of the Hobart Hebrew Congregation's committee in 1843.

Physical Description

A circular copper token (34 mm diameter) with the name, address and business of the issuer: I Friedman, Argyle Street Pawnbroker. The reverse features a female figure representing Justice seated on a wool bale with legs to left but her head and upper body to front. A wine barrel lies on the ground behind her and a three-masted sailing ship sails to the right on the horizon to the 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 bare and right draped to near the elbow. Above the figure is TASMANIA and in the exergue the date 1857.

Obverse Description

Legend in three lines: I. FRIEDMAN / PAWNBROKER / ARGYLE STREET

Reverse Description

Female figure representing Justice seated on a wool bale with legs to left but her head and upper body to front. A wine barrel lies on the ground behind her and a three-masted sailing ship sails to the right on the horizon to the 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 bare and right draped to near the elbow. Around above, TASMANIA in exergue, 1857

Edge Description

Plain

More Information

  • Collection Names

    Royal Melbourne Mint Collection

  • Collecting Areas

    Numismatics & Philately, Working Life & Trades

  • Acquisition Information

    Transfer from Melbourne Branch of Royal Mint, 11 Jan 1978

  • Date Issued

    1857 AD

  • Issued By

    I. Friedman, Pawnbroker, Hobart, Greater Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 1857

  • Mint

    W.J.Taylor, Mint, London, England, Great Britain, 1857

  • Previous Collection

    Royal Mint, Melbourne Branch

  • Inscriptions

    Obverse: I. FRIEDMAN PAWNBROKER ARGYLE STREET Reverse: TASMANIA 1857

  • Denomination

    Halfpenny

  • Series

    Trade Tokens

  • Material

    Copper

  • Axis

    12

  • Classification

    Trade tokens, Australia - tasmania, Working strikes

  • Category

    History & Technology

  • Discipline

    Numismatics

  • Type of item

    Object

  • Dimensions

    28 mm (Outside Diameter), 5.877 g (Weight)

  • References

    Friedman had a large number of tokens manufactured in London in both penny and halfpenny denominations. To produce the penny pieces three obverse and two reverse dies were needed, while the halfpennies required three obverse dies but only the one reverse. Standard references and museum storage are based on the particular combination of obverse and reverse dies employed to manufacture the particular token. Indenification of the dies used is as follows: Halfpenny obverse dies Obverse PAWNBROKER R to T Border beads D 23.1 mm 0.7 mm 130 E 22.8 mm 1.1 mm 130 F 22.6 mm 0.7 mm 132 Recorded penny die combinations are: D/3 (this token), E/3, F/3 For details of the penny dies see NU 3727
    [Book] Andrews, Arthur. 1921. Australasian Tokens and Coins., No. 137
    [Book] Heyde, Gilbert C. & Skinner, Dion H. 1967. Unofficial Coins of Colonial Australia and New Zealand., No. 77/1

  • Keywords

    Pawnbrokers