Catalog
1/2 Penny - Auctori Plebis "Hispaniola"
| Issuer | Private Issue for Hispaniola |
|---|---|
| Year | 1736 |
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| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of a laureate female figure facing right, occupying the central field, rendered in a style reminiscent of contemporary British colonial coinage. The hair is elaborately dressed and crowned with a wreath, with loose curls falling to the shoulder. The circular Latin legend AUCTORI: PLEBIS: (meaning 'By the authority of the people') runs along the periphery, interrupted by the bust. The overall relief is relatively low, consistent with privately issued copper token coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A crowned Irish harp occupies the central field, depicted with fine string detail and a female figure forming the fore-pillar, characteristic of 18th-century harp imagery derived from Irish coinage types. The legend HISPANIOLA arcs along the upper periphery in widely spaced capital letters, while the date 1736 is inscribed in the lower field beneath the harp. The flat, unadorned field surrounding the device gives the reverse a stark, functional appearance typical of privately produced plantation or emergency token coinage. |
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| Additional information |
The "Auctori Plebis" tokens were struck in England — almost certainly in Birmingham — and shipped to Hispaniola for use in a colonial economy chronically starved of small change. The Latin phrase translates roughly as "by authority of the people," a curious declaration for a privately commissioned piece with no official sanction from any crown. Whether the issuer was a merchant consortium or a single planter interest remains unresolved in the literature.
Atkins catalogued this type in 1889, and it has remained one of the more elusive Caribbean token issues. The KM Tn1 designation reflects its status as a necessity piece rather than a regal coinage.