1/2 Penny - Imitation Bust and Harp

These brass imitations circulated in Lower Canada during a period of chronic copper shortage, filling a gap the colonial government never adequately addressed. They were struck by private interests — merchants and token issuers — rather than any official authority, and passed at face value simply because small change was scarce enough that the public accepted almost anything of approximate size and weight.

The multiple CCT varieties reflect differences in die workmanship across what were likely several separate striking operations. Breton 1012 has been documented in the literature since the nineteenth century.