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1/2 Penny Imitation Sailing Ship - Laureate Bust
| Issuer | Canadian provinces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | CCT#BL-25 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A frigate under sail proceeding to the right, flying a straight rectangular pennant from the mainmast. No square hollow is present adjacent to the mast, and the junction points of the guys at the mainmast bear no balls, while those at the other masts are rendered as small balls. A short spike projects from the stern, and the afterbrace of the mizzenmast is joined to the flagstaff. The ensign at the stern droops slightly. This variety is closely related to BL-24A but is distinguished by the specific rigging and pennant details described. No legend appears in the field or exergue. |
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| Edge | Plain. |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a broad category of privately issued copper tokens that flooded British North America in the 1830s, filling a chronic small-change void that colonial authorities repeatedly failed to address. The "imitation" designation in CCT#BL-25 is telling — these were not sanctioned issues but commercial tokens produced speculatively, often by Birmingham manufacturers supplying the North American market in bulk. Breton and Courteau both documented the type, though attribution to a specific issuer remains elusive.
Birmingham's Soho and related trade token producers exported similar pieces by the shipload — literally — to colonial merchants who resold or spent them at face value.