Coin, Tokens, Trading token, Penny, Thomas H. Cope, Thomas Stokes
Summary
Thomas Stokes, like many immigrants of the time, came to Australia in the 1850s in search of gold. Born in the England in 1831, he moved to Victoria, and once the search for gold proved fruitless he turned to what he knew: die-sinking and button-making. He set up business in 1856 and soon moved to 115 Flinders Lane. In 1857, he started to issue trader tokens after acquiring a press from WJ Taylor.
The first Australian trader token was a penny, issued by Melbourne grocer Annand, Smith & Co. in 1849. As was the cases in most other countries, token issues were predominantly in response to a shortage of pennies and halfpennies. It didn't hurt that these pieces nicely doubled as an advertisement for one's business when they were given out as change. At first, companies would import tokens from British manufacturers, but as the colony's manufacturing capacity grew, local makers provided their own services in this lucrative business.
Stokes issued a large number of tokens of differing types for his own business and for others. One customer was Thomas H Cope, a draper with a shop in Gardiners Creek Road (now Toorak Road). One of Cope's tokens, from 1862, is now held in the collection. The collection only has a couple of trader tokens, and these were displayed in a 2006 exhibition titled 'Melbourne Authentic', held at City Gallery, which focused on how the city's coat of arms developed over time.
This text is excerpted from Darren Burgess' essay 'City of Melbourne Numismatic Collection', available in full through the 'Explore' tab above.
