Catalog
1/2 Penny Ships, Colonies and Commerce
| Issuer | Prince Edward Island |
|---|---|
| Year | 1815 |
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| Value | 1/2 Penny (1⁄480) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting a three-masted sailing vessel under full sail, oriented to the left, rendered in moderate relief above a baseline representing the sea. The circular legend SHIPS COLONIES AND COMMERCE arcs around the periphery, with the date 1815 positioned in the exergue below the ship. A beaded border frames the entire design, separating the legend from the outer rim. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The legend FOR PUBLICK ACCOMMODATION is distributed across the field in three lines: FOR arching at the top, PUBLICK across the centre, and ACCOMMODATION curving along the lower portion. Two quatrefoil floral ornaments flank the central field at mid-height, and a horizontal rule or dash appears both above and below the word PUBLICK, serving as decorative separators. The entire composition is enclosed within a beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
The "Ships, Colonies and Commerce" coppers were not issued by Prince Edward Island at all — they are anonymous trade tokens produced in Britain, almost certainly in Birmingham, and shipped to the colonial market in bulk. The island's merchants and government alike simply tolerated their circulation because small change was chronically scarce throughout the Maritime colonies in the early nineteenth century. No colonial authority commissioned them; they filled a vacuum.
The brass composition of PE-9B distinguishes it from the more common copper strikes of the same type — a minor production variant, not a deliberate policy choice.