Canada bank token help needed

1957joe

I recieved a 1 penny (1852) and a 1/2 penny (1842) bank tokens from a cousin. I have never seen anything like these and I was wondering if anybody had any information they could share?????
Thanks!
Joe

Blackhawk

Could you show a photo or describe them?

1957joe

the 1/2 penny is nearly the size of a US half dollar and on one side has a large house with Province of Canada above it and Bank of Montreal below.
on the other side it has a large O in the middle with an X on the inside. Above the O is Bank Token. Below the O it has 1842 and below that Half penny.

The penny on one side has a man on a horse with Bank of Upper Canada above and 1852 below. The other side has an anchor and a crown and some other things in the center with Bank Token above it and One Penny below!


Thanks,
Joe

cosmicdebris

cosmicdebris

1957joe

that is the penny. Mine isn't quite that good, but it is in pretty good shape. Do you hace any info on these?
Thanks,
Joe

traderdave

The provinces of upper and lower Canada were pre-confederation entities that functioned by having the banks issue tokens for currency. After the Canadian Confederation the coins were issued by Great Britain who had colonized Canada, first issued in 1858, at which point it became illegal for the banks to issue their own currency. As you can see, the coins were heavy, being based upon actual value of the metal used. Britain did not offer coins that were anywhere near the weight, and the coins were not readily accepted at first. Metal values changed that gradually. I have quite a number of the tokens (as well as full sets of the Canadian Large Cents from 1858) and think they are grand old pieces. For actual value one needs a Krause catalog for the 1800's, which I haven't gotten yet. The grade is another issue involved, of course.
I hope that helps. If you want to collect them I might part with some if I can find out what they are worth now! I only have pricing for the Canadian cents.

1957joe

thanks for the info Dave.
I'm not looking to buy any more right now though.
Joe

Luvdawgs

I will look them up in my Charlton guide to Canadian tokens tonight when I get home from work for you

1957joe

thanks! That would be great!
Joe

Luvdawgs

For the 1842 half penny, I found one type that says "Bank of Montreal" on the ribbon that is on the coin's reverse. This type has three kinds, of which
I'll give you the prices in Canadian dollars, which the Charlton guide uses. Composition is copper, weight 9.2 to 9.5 grams, diameter 28.2 to 28.6 mm, edge is plain. Ref. no.
is BR 527.

Cat. No. Date Description VG F VF EF AU UNC
PC-1A1 1842 Tall trees, short nose beaver 150. 225. 350. - - -
PC-1A2 1842 Medium trees, short nose beaver 7 15. 20. 40. 100. 200.
PC-1A3 1842 Short trees, short nose beaver 7 15. 20. 40. 100. 200.

The one penny token, Bank of Upper Canada, dated 1952, is copper, 15.5 to 15.8 grams, 33.1 to 33.3 mm diameter, plain edge, BR 719 and W 880, made in
either the Royal Mint or the Heaton Mint. There are 5 varietes:

PC-6B1 1852 Small "2", Royal, medal 5. 7. 12. 30. 75. 200.
PC-6B2 1852 Large "2", Royal, medal 5. 7. 12. 30. 75. 200.
PC-6B3 1852 Wide "2", Royal, medal 5. 7. 12. 30. 75. 200.
PC-6B4 1852 Narrow "2", Heaton, coinage 4. 6. 10. 25. 60. 200.
PC-6B5 1852 Large "2", Heaton, coinage 4. 6. 10. 25. 60. 200.

1957joe

Thanks for all the great info!
Joe