Peate & Harcourt (Late) Smith Peate & Co. Grocers Wine Merchants.

Wonderful colonial advertisement printed with gold lettering by S.T. Leigh of Peate & Harcourt wine merchants which were at 258-262 George Street, Sydney.

The first partnership between these families was from 1820 to 1825 when Captain George Peate and William Smith were the owners of the trading vessel Sally. In 1836 Charles Peate (son of George) opened a grocery store in Prince Street, Newtown. His son Thomas moved the business to 221 George Street East in 1850 and in 1855 he joined with Edward A. Smith (grandson of William) and Alfred Harcourt to form Smith, Peate and Co., Shipping and Family Grocers and Wine Merchants. They later moved and occupied 113-115 George Street, five doors south of Bridge Street, and across the road from the Bank of Australasia.

When the street numbers were re-allocated in 1857, 113-115 became 258-260. These new numbers provide evidence of the date of issue for the tokens, as they are used on the obverse. ‘Allowing for the time factor for the order to be fulfilled by Heaton and Sons in Birmingham, the first order of tokens would be unlikely to arrive before 1859.’ (May, 1988)

During the 1860s the business did well and claimed the patronage of ‘His Excellency, the Governor.’