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1/2 Penny - King George III Copper Company of Upper Canada, Pattern
| Issuer | Copper Company of Upper Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1794 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12.8 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A reclining male river deity, depicted in the classical allegorical tradition akin to Neptune or a water god, occupies the central field, leaning against an urn from which water flows. The figure is shown semi-draped, in a pose suggestive of abundance and fertility. A circular Latin legend surrounds the design, with the date 1794 appearing in the lower exergual area beneath the figure. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Copper Company of Upper Canada was chartered with ambitions to mine and process copper from Lake Superior deposits, and the 1794 halfpenny tokens were intended as both a circulating medium and an advertisement of that enterprise. Pattern pieces struck in silver — rather than the intended copper — were produced almost certainly for presentation purposes, possibly to company directors or government officials whose approval the venture required.
Ch#PF-5B identifies this as one of the rarest survivals from a company that never meaningfully got off the ground.