Hodgson Token_thoughts On Grade?

Cool token for sure. Close to mint state if not so.

Lovely token, Silver101!
Penny or halfpenny? Can't tell by the photo as they're identical except for size.

The penny would be Renniks 243 and Andrews 257 (R3), while the half (R4) is R245/A258. My 20-y/o KM lists them as Tn-112 (penny) and 109. Either might bring several hundred Australian dollars in that condition...in Australia, I hasten to add. Auction archives at Noble, coin-auctions.com, and Downie's would be good places to check for recent activity.

Personally, I'll go with AU, but I'm confident NGC would call it MS-61 or so. Haven't seen enough PCGS grading of 19th-century British Oceania tokens to hazard a guess about them.

As a former long-time collector of British colonial exonumia, I've seen many Hodgson tokens, and in my experience slightly weak centers were standard on this model, but you need to hear from our Australian friends! It's quite possible, even likely, that yours is stronger than I'm giving it credit for. It is quite a survivor, indeed!

Happy Hollandaise, everyone!
Tom

Its a great coin.
MS64 or 65.

Asking $960 AUD? Not for me, but Renniks would agree with your seller, I think, showing EF and Unc values for the penny and halfpenny, respectively, at AUD 500-2250 and 850-3500. Of course, you'd have to like it as AU or MS to find that price level agreeable, right?.

Are we looking at a penny here, or a halfpenny? (34mm vs. 28mm)

I honestly can't tell whether this is a live auction or prices realized, but I see one at auction right now at http://coin-auctions.com/auction12.htm. Look for Lot #4091, a claimed AU/Unc ("once cleaned ? Much Lustre"), pegged at $925.00. Maybe they have an archive you can dig into?

In case any non-Oz collectors here are wondering, this is the Renniks I use for attribution and values. Mine was published in 2012 and I'm not finding anything more recent, aside from auction results.

Silver101, I spent years collecting the colonial and pre-regal coinage (which means primarily tokens) of the "British World" -- and found it fascinating -- before eventually moving on to Conders and then further narrowing my focus down to the British copper and silver tokens of the Regency Period, 1811-20, which encompasses lots of Anglo- and Hiberno-Canadian exonumia. It's always good to look before you leap, of course, so whatever areas you're contemplating, you might be well advised not only to "buy the book before the coin" but also to explore the archives of the established auction houses that specialize in your possible new field....like the ones I cited earlier regarding Australia/New Zealand tokens.

I just did a little of that, and the best example I can find for your eyeball comparison is this FDC specimen that sold at Noble's March 2017 Sale 114 (Lot 947), where it brought AUD 900. (Note the tragic gouge at 12:00 reverse! And the strong centers!)

Moreover, I just looked at the ebay listing you're considering...the top two photos look better to me than the others, showing less contact on the fur and feathers. Since this is the exact same token I noted above, per the stains and spots (Lot 4091 -- identified as the penny, as in the ebay listing's title), the seller is either Coin Trends in Ballarat, Victoria, or the person who recently bought if from them or withdrew the consigment post-sale. I was buying tokens from Coin Trends' auctions and fixed-price sales 25-35 years ago and never had a complaint, so I find it curious now that the ebay listing doesn't include the caveat about a possible cleaning. Just something you might want to inquire about, just as you might want to send in an offer as a way to test the market.

Meanwhile, you're more than welcome to come back and revisit my gorgeous country anytime...I'm less than a four-hour drive due south of Montreal in the beautiful Hudson Valley of upstate New York!

I don't see any wear on this one. Looks MS-64BN to me.