Catalog
1 Penny - Victoria Pattern
| Issuer | Nova Scotia (Canadian provinces) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Pound (1812-1860) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central device depicting a Mayflower (Epigaea repens), the floral emblem of Nova Scotia, rendered in fine detail within the field. A continuous Latin legend encircles the design along the full periphery, reading PROVINCE OF NOVA SCOTIA ONE PENNY TOKEN. The composition is balanced and heraldic in character, consistent with mid-19th century British colonial token design conventions. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
This 1856 pattern was struck in London — almost certainly at the Royal Mint or by a private contractor such as Heaton — as Nova Scotia negotiated the terms of a new provincial coinage ahead of the issues that would formally circulate from 1861. The colonial authorities were pressing for a decimal cent system aligned with the emerging Canadian monetary framework, and these patterns represent the trial-and-error phase of that negotiation. The Breen reference Br#875 covers a cluster of related trials, and the Haxby MSP-1a designation confirms this as a distinct variety within that group rather than a later restrike.