Triton XXII, Lot: 1315. Estimate $5000. Sold for $4500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

NEW ZEALAND. Victoria. Queen of Great Britain, 1837-1901. Proof CU Pattern Penny (30.5mm, 9.23 g, 12h). Allen & Moore’s (Birmingham) mint. Dies by James Moore. Dated 1879. VICTORIA QUEEN OF GREAT BRITAIN, laureate head left; thistle, shamrock, and rose below / NEW ZEALAND, Britannia seated right on prow, holding trident in left hand and olive branch in right, resting right hand on shield; 1879 in exergue. Andrews 399; Lampard 336; KM –. Proof, minor cabinet friction on high points. Rare.

From the Viggo Collection. Ex Noble 114 (28 March 2017), lot 786, purchased from Mowbray, 2006.

Though frequently associated with the various New Zealand tradesmen’s tokens also produced by Allen & Moore, the present type in fact represents a proposed official coinage for the colony. It was never adopted, and the first government issued coinage for the island would not be struck until 1933.