1/2 Penny Regal Imitation - George III left

These "regal imitations" occupied a legal grey zone — privately struck tokens designed to mimic official British coinage closely enough to circulate without question, yet sufficiently distinct to avoid outright forgery charges. By the 1830s, Lower Canada was chronically short of authorized small change, and merchants and speculators filled the void with tokens like this one, flooding the colony with brass that the public accepted out of sheer necessity. The Colonial Advocate estimated in 1833 that counterfeit and imitation copper accounted for the majority of small transactions in Montreal.

CCT#BL-11 is attributed to a Birmingham diesinker, almost certainly operating with full knowledge of the intended destination market.