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1/2 Penny - Rutherford 'St John's'
| Issuer | R. & I.S. Rutherford |
|---|---|
| Year | 1841 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Currency | Pound |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central armorial design featuring a heraldic shield supported by two rearing horses as dexter and sinister supporters, the whole surmounted by a crest depicting a mermaid with arms raised. The motto legend PER MARE PER TERRA appears on a scroll in the lower exergue, rendered in raised Latin lettering. The entire composition is executed in high relief within a beaded border. The design closely follows the arms associated with trade and mercantile enterprise, typical of Canadian merchant token issues of the mid-19th century. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Rutherfords operated a dry goods business in Montreal during the early 1840s, issuing this token at a moment when colonial Canada suffered a chronic shortage of official small change. The Province of Canada had no functioning coinage of its own, and merchants routinely plugged the gap with privately struck copper — some legitimate, many debased. The "St John's" designation on this piece almost certainly refers to St. John's Ward, the Montreal district where the firm traded.
Breton 952 is among the better-documented Montreal merchant tokens of the period. NF-1A in the Canadian Colonial Token reference distinguishes this variety by specific die characteristics from related Rutherford issues.