Catalog
1/2 Penny payable by Carritt and Alport
| Issuer | Carritt & Alport (Halifax, Nova Scotia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1814 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Reeded |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Carritt & Alport were Halifax merchants operating during the acute small-change shortage that plagued British North America throughout the Napoleonic Wars period, when official copper from Britain arrived sporadically and colonial authorities lacked the mandate to strike their own. Private merchant tokens like this one filled the gap entirely by necessity — they circulated as functional currency, not advertising. The "payable by" phrasing was a deliberate legal hedge, implying redemption obligation without quite constituting a promissory note under contemporary statute.