Perrins Brothers issued this trade token during a period of acute rural unrest in Upper Canada — the early 1830s saw ongoing friction between agrarian settlers and merchant-linked political factions, and slogans tied to labour and bread carried pointed ideological weight. The "Speed the Plough" phrase had circulated in British popular culture since at least Raikes's 1798 play of the same name, but on a merchant token it signals alignment with working landowners rather than the commercial elite.
Breton 1010 is among the better-documented Upper Canadian issues in the series.
Perrins Brothers issued this trade token during a period of acute rural unrest in Upper Canada — the early 1830s saw ongoing friction between agrarian settlers and merchant-linked political factions, and slogans tied to labour and bread carried pointed ideological weight. The "Speed the Plough" phrase had circulated in British popular culture since at least Raikes's 1798 play of the same name, but on a merchant token it signals alignment with working landowners rather than the commercial elite.
Breton 1010 is among the better-documented Upper Canadian issues in the series.