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1/2 Penny T.S. Brown and Co
| Issuer | T.S. Brown & Co., Montreal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1832 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7.3 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays an emblematic composition of trade and industry tools arranged symmetrically in the field. Two crossed spades occupy the upper portion of the design, their blades forming an X motif. Below, a central anvil is depicted with a hammer and tongs resting upon it, symbolising the hardware trade. A hand-saw is positioned to the left of the central group, while a vice is shown to the right. The arrangement is contained within a plain inner circle with a beaded border at the periphery. |
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| Additional information |
T.S. Brown & Co. was a Montreal hardware merchant that issued this token during the chronic small-change shortage that plagued Lower Canada in the early 1830s. Colonial authorities had long failed to supply adequate copper coinage, leaving merchants to fill the gap themselves. Brown's firm was one of several Montreal traders who commissioned tokens struck in Britain — almost certainly by a Birmingham manufacturer — and imported them as a practical fix for daily retail transactions.
Breton 561 is reasonably well documented within the Lower Canada token series, though the merchant itself left little historical footprint beyond the token bearing its name.