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1/2 Penny Regal Imitation - George III left
| Issuer | Canadian provinces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Crude laureate effigy of George III facing left, with truncated neck and drapery folds visible at the base. The portrait is rendered in a simplified, provincial style characteristic of regal imitation coinage, lacking the fine detail of official British halfpennies. No legend or inscription appears in the field or around the periphery. The overall relief is low and the design shows the characteristic crudeness associated with emergency and counterfeit regal coppers circulated in the Canadian provinces. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
These so-called "regal imitations" circulated in the Canadian provinces during a chronic small-change shortage that plagued British North America through the 1830s. Privately struck tokens — often in Birmingham by firms like Boulton & Watt's competitors — flooded colonial markets because the Royal Mint simply could not supply adequate copper coinage to the provinces. The CCT BL-8 attribution places this piece within a well-documented but commercially motivated series, not an official issue.
The left-facing portrait was an unusual commercial choice, deliberately diverging from the conventional right-facing bust to avoid direct counterfeiting accusations.