Catalog
1/2 Stiver - George III
| Issuer | Demerara and Essequibo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1813 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central field displays the denomination HALF STIVER in two lines within a wreath of oak branches, surmounted by a St. Edward's Crown. The date 1813 appears in the exergue below the wreath. The encircling legend COLONIES OF ESSEQUEBO & DEMARARY TOKEN runs around the periphery, bounded by a continuous beaded border. |
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| Additional information |
Demerara and Essequibo, then a British-administered territory on the northeastern coast of South America, suffered chronic small-change shortages throughout the Napoleonic Wars period. London authorized this copper coinage specifically for the colony in 1813 — one of the very few times a dedicated regal issue was struck for what was still a recently acquired Dutch possession, formally ceded to Britain only in 1814 at the Convention of London. The timing is historically awkward: coins bearing George III's authority for a colony Britain did not yet legally own.