Trinidad (1861) half penny token
This specimen was lot 2142 in Jean Elsen sale 164 (Brussels, March 2026), where it sold for €90 (about US$125 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"TRINIDAD, Colonie britannique, Cu token, 1861. 10 centimes Napoléon III contremarqué FD et P. La contremarque FD au droit est mal frappée et en partie incomplète. La contremarque FD est à rapprocher de François Declos, un barbier local qui aurait contremarqué de ses initiales diverses émissions en cuivre, monnaies comme jetons, afin de les faire circuler comme pièces de 2 centimes. Le sens de la contremarque P inversé au revers est incertain. très bien conservé. (British colony of Trinidad, copper token of 1861, a ten centimes of Napoleon III countermarked "FD" and "P". The "FD" is attributed to François Declos, a barber who countermarked his initials on various copper pieces, coins and tokens together, to make them pass for two centime pieces. The meaning of the "P" countermark on the reverse is uncertain. Very good.)"
The SCWC calls these half penny tokens, which makes more sense as Trinidad was a British colony on the sterling system. Trinidad was long a Spanish colony until it was seized by the British in 1797 and held by them until independence in 1962. Slavery was abolished in 1833. The island is famous as the home of steel drum bands and calypso.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: host coin: 10 g, copper.
Catalog reference: KM Tn1.1, Prid. 7 var.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Elsen, Philippe, et al., Vente Publique 164: Monnaies du duché de Brabant et du royaume de Belgique, Brussels: Jean Elsen et ses Fils S.A., 2026.
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