Catalog
1 Penny / 2 Sous Banque du Peuple
| Issuer | Banque du Peuple |
|---|---|
| Year | 1837 |
| Type | Emergency coin |
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| Obverse description | A full-length standing figure of a habitant (French-Canadian farmer) occupies the central field, depicted facing slightly to the right, dressed in traditional coat and breeches. The figure stands on a plain ground line, conveying a rustic, colonial character typical of Lower Canadian token iconography. A continuous circular legend surrounds the central device, reading PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA at the top and DEUX SOUS at the bottom. The entire design is enclosed within a dentilated border running along the rim. |
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| Obverse lettering | PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA DEUX SOUS |
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| Additional information |
The Banque du Peuple was founded in Montreal in 1835 by Louis-Michel Viger and a coalition of Patriote-aligned investors as a direct challenge to the anglophone-controlled Bank of Montreal. This token was issued just two years before the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837–38, when the Patriotes under Louis-Joseph Papineau openly defied British colonial authority. Copper tokens like this one circulated widely precisely because the colonial government had failed to supply adequate small change, and private banks filled the vacuum.
The bank suspended operations during the rebellion and its aftermath, making the full intended issue incomplete.