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1 Sou Belleville - 16 cherry leaves / 7 shamrocks
| Issuer | Lower Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1835-1838 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A wreath of cherry leaves, counted as sixteen in the standard variety, frames the central field, tied at the base with a small bow or knot. Within the wreath, the denomination UN SOU is boldly inscribed in two lines in raised lettering. The legend TOKEN arcs across the upper portion of the coin outside the wreath, while MONTREAL curves along the lower periphery, all within a beaded border. The overall design is simple and utilitarian, consistent with the Belleville token issues of the period. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Belleville tokens take their name from the Belleville, Ontario foundry of James Milne, though the precise contracting arrangements behind their production remain murky. They circulated in Lower Canada during a period when the colonial government's chronic failure to provide adequate small change had left the market flooded with private and semi-private copper — much of it imported speculatively from Britain and struck to varying weights with no official sanction.
The leaf and shamrock count variants (this being the 16-leaf / 7-shamrock die combination catalogued by Breton) exist because multiple die pairs were cut without strict standardization, making die attribution the primary tool for distinguishing genuine varieties from later restrikes.