Canada 1844 1/2 penny token KM-Tn18
The first specimen was lot 29452 in Heritage sale 3042 (Long Beach, September 2015), where it sold for $1,292.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Province of Canada. Bank of Montreal 1/2 Penny Token 1844 MS66 Brown PCGS. Free of spots or discoloration over the iridescent blue tinged surfaces, and absolutely lustrous, with an immaculate strike that sharply renders even the most intricate details of the design. As the single finest graded example of the type at PCGS, certainly a coin that belongs in an advanced cabinet." The SCWC notes that the Bank of Montreal, the Banque du Peuple and City Bank were granted the right to issue halfpenny and penny tokens, which right was exercised 1837-39, 1842-45 and 1852. However, when official provincial coinage was issued in 1858, decimal coinage similar to United States coins was chosen. This specimen sold for over six times the catalog value.
Recorded mintage: 1,440,000.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: Br-527, KM Tn18.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Cross, W. K., The Charlton Standard Catalogue of Canadian Coins, 62nd Ed., Toronto: Charlton International, 2008.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3042, featuring the Read and Bob Bennett Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2015.
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