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1/2 Penny - Halifax Captain Broke long bust - Britannia
| Issuer | Nova Scotia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1814 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | Draped and uniformed bust of Captain Sir Philip Broke facing left, depicted in naval officer's dress with epaulette visible on the shoulder, hair flowing to the nape of the neck. The portrait is rendered in high relief with fine engraved detail on the uniform collar and insignia. The circumferential legend reads BROKE above and HALIFAX to the left and NOVA SCOTIA below, all within a beaded border. The plain field surrounds the long truncated bust, which is characteristic of the so-called 'long bust' variety of this token issue. |
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
This token was issued by Halifax merchants in the immediate aftermath of Philip Broke's June 1813 victory over USS Chesapeake — a single-ship action lasting under fifteen minutes that made Broke a national hero in British North America. The long bust variety distinguished by CCT#NS-7A reflects a die modification made during the same production run, likely by the same Birmingham diesinker responsible for related Nova Scotia merchant tokens of the period. Small change was chronically scarce in the colony throughout the war years, and privately issued copper tokens filled the gap that official coinage never adequately addressed.