Kingston (1829) half penny token
This specimen was lot 44400 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $504. The catalog description[1] noted, "JAMAICA. Kingston. William Smith's Copper 1/2 Penny Token, ND (1829). PCGS MS-64 Brown. A remarkable survivor, this near-Gem stands as the only Mint State representative among those observed by PCGS. Rich red-brown surfaces and exceptional luster shimmer throughout, elevating its appearance that much more. From the Richard Margolis Collection." Jamaica was among many Caribbean islands suffering frm chronic shortages of coin. This merchant token was issued to fill the gap. Official coinage did not begin until 1869.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: bronze or copper.
Catalog reference: Prid-133; Rulau-Jam38.
- Pridmore, F., The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the Reign of George VI 1952: Part 3, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras and the British West Indies, London: Spink & Son, 1965.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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