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1 Sou Montreal - 16 cherry leaves / 5 shamrocks
| Issuer | Lower Canada |
|---|---|
| Year | 1836-1838 |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | TOKEN UN SOU MONTREAL |
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| Additional information |
These tokens were issued by a consortium of Montreal merchants as a private response to a chronic small-change shortage that plagued Lower Canada through the 1830s. The colonial authorities in London repeatedly failed to supply adequate copper coinage, leaving local commerce to improvise. The specific combination of cherry leaves and shamrocks on this type has generated considerable numismatic debate — the cherry may reference Canadian agricultural identity while the shamrocks nod to the substantial Irish immigrant population, though no issuing merchant documentation survives to confirm the symbolism was intentional rather than decorative.
The brass composition distinguishes this from the more common copper strikings in the LC-40 series.