The Rutherford tokens were issued by a dry goods merchant operating in Montreal during a period when small change was chronically scarce in the Canadas. The Province's official copper supply was perpetually inadequate, and private merchants filled the gap with their own struck tokens — a practice tolerated, if not officially sanctioned, by colonial authorities. The St. John's designation on this piece almost certainly refers to St. John's Ward, a commercial district in Montreal rather than the Newfoundland city.
Breton 952 is one of several Rutherford varieties, distinguished in the CCT census by die linkage and edge characteristics.
The Rutherford tokens were issued by a dry goods merchant operating in Montreal during a period when small change was chronically scarce in the Canadas. The Province's official copper supply was perpetually inadequate, and private merchants filled the gap with their own struck tokens — a practice tolerated, if not officially sanctioned, by colonial authorities. The St. John's designation on this piece almost certainly refers to St. John's Ward, a commercial district in Montreal rather than the Newfoundland city.
Breton 952 is one of several Rutherford varieties, distinguished in the CCT census by die linkage and edge characteristics.