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1/2 Penny Regal Imitation - George III right, uniface
| Issuer | Canadian provinces |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
| 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 |
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| Technique | 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 | Uniface obverse bearing a crudely impressed effigy of King George III facing right, rendered in the rudimentary style characteristic of Canadian blacksmith tokens, imitating the regal halfpenny coinage. The portrait is executed with minimal detail, lacking the refined engraving of official Soho Mint issues, with broad, shallow relief typical of improvised blacksmith die work. No peripheral legend surrounds the effigy, and the field is rough and irregular, consistent with the primitive production methods employed by itinerant smiths in early nineteenth-century British North America. The overall design approximates the laureate bust found on contemporary British regal coppers but is greatly simplified in execution. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The "regal imitation" tokens of the 1830s occupied a legal grey zone in colonial Canada. Parliament's Chalmer's Act of 1825 had attempted to suppress private token coinage in the British Isles, but enforcement in the colonies was inconsistent at best, and commercial necessity kept private copper circulating freely. Pieces imitating the weight and appearance of official halfpence were struck by several anonymous issuers and passed without serious official objection simply because there was nothing adequate to replace them.
CCT BL-19 is uniface — struck on one side only — a production anomaly that likely reflects a collar or die failure rather than intentional design.