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1/2 Penny - King George III Copper Company of Upper Canada (Pattern)
| Issuer | Copper Company of Upper Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1794 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13.1 g |
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| Obverse description | A reclining male figure, representing a river god or allegory of abundance, is depicted in high relief in the central field, his muscular form turned three-quarters to the right, resting on one arm with a trident held upright in his other hand. Reeds and natural landscape elements appear in the background to the right, while a vessel or urn pours water at his side, symbolizing the fertility and riches of the land. The word FONTHON appears incuse within the exergual line beneath the central device, with the date 1794 inscribed in the lower field below the horizontal dividing line. The circular Latin legend FERTILITATEM DIVITAS QUE CIRCUMFERREMUS encircles the design, interrupted by a raised beaded inner border. The engraving is executed in the refined neoclassical style associated with the Soho Mint workshop of John Gregory Hancock. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | FERTILITATEM DIVITAS QUE CIRCUMFERREMUS 1794 |
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| Additional information |
The Copper Company of Upper Canada was a short-lived commercial venture that never actually operated a mine — it existed primarily on paper, with its tokens serving as a speculative instrument rather than a working merchant's currency. The 1794 patterns were produced in Birmingham, almost certainly by the Soho Mint or a contractor operating in its orbit, during the height of the provincial token boom when private copper coinage was flooding into British North America to fill a chronic shortage of regal small change.
PF-4 in the CCT cataloguing system denotes pattern status — this piece never entered circulation. Whether the company ever intended production issues remains unresolved.