Allyn Jacobs describes these little "dung-besmattered" gems thus:
Dung-besmattered though they be,
The Larkans are a joy to see!
Staffords with their backsides etched,
Reek of mielies that were retched....
Long years they mouldered in latrine,
And but for you were never seen!
The set of four tokens for sale here have values of 3d, 6d, 1/- and 2-.
Less than five collectors have these "dual purpose" set of four tokens - identified by their corrosion - and all are prominent numismatists.
This set was dug up from an old dunny in southern Natal in the late 1970s (near Donnybrook) by the seller. The tokens were originally used in the early 1900s for facilitating trade at the Larkan's Bontrand store (a small number of these uncorroded tokens exist). In the 1930s after Strachan and Co had bought the stores, Percy Larkan (son of Frances Charlotte Larkan) used these same token coins to pay his farm labour. By a unique arrangement, his labour could use them at local stores and Percy would redeem them by simply selling milk and maize to the same value at these local stores each week. Larkan continued to use them in this manner until 1955 - a unique and very localised arrangement.
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SEE ALSO MY COMPLETE SET OF LARKAN TOGT LABOUR TOKENS FOR SALE
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When he sold his farm Thorninghurst the tokens were disposed of by Percy Larkan in 1955 by simply throwing them down the farm dunny. I met with Percy Larkan in the late 1970s and, using a rough mud map he provided, was able to dig them up under very trying circumstances.
Prof Clive Graham helped me save these Larkan token coins I retrieved by putting them in an acid bath. The acid bath removed the corrosive materials destroying them.
You can find out more about these coins on the BoB forum at:
http://forum.bidorbuy.co.za/coins-notes-numismatist/6818-southern-africa-tokens-3.html#post63263
http://forum.bidorbuy.co.za/coins-notes-numismatist/6818-southern-africa-tokens-3.html#post63264
Scans of the coins being sold:
VERY LOW STARTING PRICE - INCLUDES POSTAGE REGISTERED AIRMAIL FROM AUSTRALIA.
(A set of these tokens - uncorroded - sold on BoB for over R10,000 last year.)
Kind regards
Scott Balson
