Upper Canada 1830' - HalfPenny Token - Perrins Bros

Country: Toronto, Upper Canada - Canadian provinces                                       
Private Issue (Perrins Brothers)
Type: Token
Year: 1830'
Value: 1/2 Penny = 1/480 Pound (1/480)
Currency: Pound
Composition: Copper
Weight: 5.8 g
Diameter: 26 mm
Mintage: Unknow
Grade: VG
Shape: Round
Orientation: Coin alignment 
Demonetized: Yes
References: CCT# UC-4, Breton# 1010

Obverse:
Man facing right threshing grain

Lettering:
NO LABOUR
NO BREAD

Reverse:
Man driving plow with 2 oxen left

Lettering:
SPEED THE PLOW
HALFPENNY TOKEN

Edge:
Plain

Comments
Weight:  6.0 - 6.5g
Diameter:  26.1 - 26.2mm

UC-4A1  Obv: Long threshing floor, Wheat table ends vertically, ground points to left seriph of "N", Rev:  Man far from                 "H" of PLOUGH
UC-4A2  Obv: Short threshing floor, Wheat table ends diagonally, ground points to left seriph of "N", Rev:  Man near                 "H" of PLOUGH
UC-4A3  Obv: Long threshing floor, Wheat table ends vertically, ground points to middle of "N", Rev:  Man near                 "H" of PLOUGH

The original token was introduced by a dry goods merchant, Perrin Brothers, of Toronto.
If, for example, someone brought in a few beaver pelts to trade for food, Perrin Brothers would pay with the tokens.
It was a lot more convenient to shop with tokens than beaver pelts, which were fetching about £1 in 1827.
There were two categories of currency back then: coin made and backed by the government and tokens that anyone could produce for trade purposes. Tokens were subsequently outlawed in 1825 in an effort to standardize currency and in 1830 a bunch of the Perrin Brothers tokens were seized by the government and melted down.
http://www.househunting.ca/story.html?id=e352a75d-f6ec-47ad-9915-2010bc448b65

Riferimento : CCT# UC-4, Breton# 1010

Fonte : https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces7...

Collezione : Canada - Monnaies et Tokens