Circa 1857 Trade Token - R Parker Ironmonger Geelong Victoria

• Minted by: Heaton & Sons of Birmingham
• Issued by: R. Parker, a Geelong Ironmonger, circa 1857
• Obverse: Legend in four lines: MOORABOOL STREET / R:PARKER / IRONMONGER. / GEELONG
• Reverse: 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; around above, AUSTRALIA. A three-masted sailing ship on horizon at left of token.

Richard Parker arrived in Victoria in 1839 and established a general store in Elizabeth Street with a Mr Boadle, the partnership dissolved when Boadle left Melbourne.

Parker then moved Collins Street and continued his business until selling out to Germain Nicholson in 1844, when he moved to Geelong and established an ironmongery store.

 Parker was very successful, and opened stores in Clunes, Back Creek (Talbot), Firey Creek and Ararat.

Parker issued at least ten varieties of tokens, all with the same inscription and figure on the faces, but with slight variations. When the tokens arrived, they were emptied out in a huge pile in the window, and as small change was scare, people flocked to the shop to exchange their silver for the more convenient copper.