Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Penny Bust and Harp - Imitation
| Issuer | Canadian provinces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Crude laureate bust of George III facing right, with roughly rendered hair and laurel wreath, truncated at the shoulder with rudimentary drapery detail. The effigy is a primitive imitation of standard British regal coinage, characteristic of Canadian blacksmith token production. A garbled legend surrounds the bust in the field, crudely incised and largely illegible, representing a corrupted rendering of standard royal titulature. The overall execution is coarse, with uneven relief and irregular flan edges typical of locally struck emergency issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
These imitation halfpennies were produced in Britain specifically for the Canadian trade token market, which by the 1820s had effectively replaced official copper coinage throughout the provinces. The colonial administration made no serious effort to supply adequate small change, leaving merchants dependent on a chaotic mix of private and imitation pieces. CCT BL-36 belongs to a cluster of Birmingham-struck coppers that mimicked regal halfpenny types closely enough to pass in daily commerce without scrutiny.