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1/2 Penny / 1 Sou City Bank
| Issuer | City Bank (Montreal) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Full-length figure of a Canadian habitant standing facing, dressed in traditional French-Canadian winter attire comprising a capote (long overcoat), tuque, sash, and snowshoes, holding what appears to be a whip or crop in his left hand. The figure is rendered in low relief at center field, surrounded by a beaded border. The circumferential legend reads PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA above, with UN and SOU divided at the lower left and right respectively. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | BANK TOKEN CONCORDIA SALUS CITY BANK 1837 HALF PENNY |
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| Additional information |
City Bank of Montreal issued this token in 1837, the same year Lower Canada erupted in armed rebellion against British colonial authority. The Patriote uprisings under Papineau had already destabilized commerce; chartered banks suspended specie payments that year, and the resulting coin shortage made privately issued copper tokens not merely convenient but essential to everyday trade. City Bank was one of several Montreal institutions to fill the vacuum.
The LC-8A designation places this within the Lower Canada token series meticulously documented by Courteau. Breton 522 is well-attested across collections, but die marriages within the type repay close examination.