Description
Australia, Victoria, Stawell, Crothers & Co (tea merchant and general storekeeper), Copper Halfpenny Trade / Advertising Token, undated (c.1862), minted by Thomas Stokes of Melbourne, obverse: CROTHERS & CO in two lines at centre, TEA MERCHANTS above, & GENERAL STOREKEEPERS below, all within beaded border, reverse: THE ORIGINAL CASH STORE – MAIN ST STAWELL in five lines, all within beaded border, edge plain, diam. 26mm.
The three Crothers brothers, William, David and Hugh, arrived from Canada in August 1854. They travelled the country (most likely trying their luck at the various gold fields) for ten years before deciding to open a store at Stawell 1865. After a number of years David left the partnership and opened his own store in Melbourne. The other brothers continued their business until they retired in 1900. In 1910 William was living in Armadale, Hugh was in Stawell and David still running his own business, was in Oakleigh. They issued their tokens after they became illegal, the first penny and the halfpenny being issued in 1865, with the other two tokens issued in later years (Dr Arthur Andrews, Australasian Tokens and Coins 89).
About very fine and rare, with old inked collectors ticket.
