Crothers & Co. - General Merchant
Description
The three Crothers brothers, William, David and Hugh, arrived from Canada in August 1854 in the schooner Vivid, that they had bought for their passage across the Pacific (Gardner). Their home town was St. John in New Brunswick. The brothers sold their ship and travelled the country (most likely trying their luck at the various gold fields) for ten years before deciding to open a store at Stawell. They opened their store in Main Street, Stawell in 1865.
After a number of years David left the partnership and opened his own store at 303 and 305 Elizabeth Street, 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 was still running his own business, by that time located in Oakleigh, then a village separate to Melbourne.
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 (Gardner). All the tokens followed the same pattern, bearing text describing the store, without any symbols. As a result, some experts consider these items to be checks rather than trade tokens.
Crothers & Co. - General Merchant values and prices
The value of an Australian token depends on several factors such as quality and wear, supply and demand, rarity, finish and more.
- Circulated
- Uncirculated
| Varieties | AG-3 | G-4 | VG-8 | F-12 | VF-20 | EF-40 | AU-50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Penny | - | - | - | $35.00 | $87.50 | $212 | $451 |
| Penny - Near S's | - | - | - | $68.40 | $161 | $1,320 | $2,630 |
| Penny - Far S's | - | - | - | $441 | $980 | $1,610 | $3,570 |
| Varieties | MS-60 | MS-62 | MS-63 | MS-64 | MS-65 | MS-66 | MS-67 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half Penny | $1,020 | $1,590 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Penny - Near S's | $5,900 | $9,200 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Penny - Far S's | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Varieties
Penny - Near S's
Penny - Far S's
Specifications
Half Penny
- Issuer: Crothers & Co.
- Mint : Stokes
- Denomination : Half Penny
- Composition: Bronze
- Die axis: ↑↑
- Weight: 5.7 grams
- Diameter: 26 mm
- Edge: Smooth
- Renniks #: 97
- Andrews #: 89
- Gray #: 54
Penny - Near S's
- Issuer: Crothers & Co.
- Mint : Stokes
- Denomination : Penny
- Composition: Bronze
- Die axis: ↑↓
- Weight: 9.8 grams
- Diameter: 31 mm
- Edge: Smooth
- Renniks #: 95
- Andrews #: 86
- Gray #: 53
Penny - Far S's
- Issuer: Crothers & Co.
- Mint : Stokes
- Denomination : Penny
- Composition: Bronze
- Die axis: ↑↓
- Weight: 9.8 grams
- Diameter: 31 mm
- Edge: Smooth
- Renniks #: 96
- Andrews #: 87
- Gray #: 53a
Last update : Thursday, November 5, 2020
