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1/2 Penny - Rutherford Harbour Grace
| Issuer | Rutherford Bros. Harbour Grace |
|---|---|
| Year | 1846 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Penny = 1⁄24 Shilling = 1⁄480 Livre |
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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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| 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 | PER MARE PER TERRAS RH 1846 |
| Reverse description | Central device depicts a woolpack — a bale of wool surmounted by a flagpole with a pennant — rendered in fine granular relief, a traditional mercantile symbol associated with the wool and dry goods trade. The legend RUTHERFORD BROS. arcs across the upper field, with HARBOUR GRACE and NEWFOUNDLAND inscribed in the lower field, separated by small rosette or asterisk ornaments. The entire design is contained within a beaded border. The composition reflects the commercial token tradition of mid-nineteenth century British colonial North America. |
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| Additional information |
Harbour Grace was Newfoundland's second-largest town in the 1840s and a significant hub for the seal and cod trade, which created persistent demand for small-denomination coinage that the colonial government chronically failed to supply. Rutherford Brothers, operating as merchants in that port, issued this token to facilitate retail transactions — a privately minted solution to a public monetary vacuum that was entirely normal for British North America at the time.
The Breton 953 attribution places it firmly within the documented merchant token series catalogued by Pierre-Napoléon Breton in 1894.