Canada 1820 1/2 penny token
This specimen was lot 74249 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $960. The catalog description[1] noted, "CANADA. Lower Canada. Blacksmith Issues (Regal types). Brass 1/2 Penny Token, 1820. NGC AU-55. Obverse: Laureate and armored bust of George III left; Reverse: Harp. Somewhat weakly struck near the peripheries, as is often the case, but with little actual wear or handling." This token was issued decades before regular coinage was issued for Canada. It is called a "blacksmith token" from the crudity of its manufacture. Canada was so starved for coinage that even counterfeits were accepted. Lower Canada is today Quebec.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: BL-35A2.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
Link to:
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- Coins and currency dated 1820