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1/2 Penny Angusshire - Montrose / Lunatic Hospital
| Issuer | Montrose Lunatic Hospital |
|---|---|
| Year | 1799 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | The armorial bearings of the Duke of Montrose occupy the central field, surmounted by a crest depicting a falcon preying upon a heron lying on its back, all above a coronet. A stork serves as supporter on each side of the shield. Below, a scroll bears the ducal motto. The circular legend is inscribed along the upper periphery within a plain border. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Montrose Royal Asylum — the institution behind this token — was among the first purpose-built psychiatric facilities in Scotland, opened in 1781 largely through the efforts of Susan Carnegie and local subscription. By 1799, the hospital was issuing copper tokens to address the chronic shortage of small change that plagued provincial Scotland during the late eighteenth century, when the Royal Mint's output of regal copper coinage had effectively collapsed. That a lunatic asylum found itself functioning as a de facto currency issuer speaks to how completely the small-change economy had broken down in this period.
Dalton & Hamer 33 is the standard reference for this type.