My 1ST Canadian Token Purchase...

Broadstruck · April 29, 2014 9:09AM

1870’s H. Gagnon & Company, Saint Roch, Quebec, Canada, Merchant Token, Breton-571, 27mm Diameter, Plain Edge, Thin Planchet, Copper.

Although Canadian publications have always stated these post confederation tokens had been struck in 1878 or as late as November 1879 this token was already mentioned as early as January 1, 1877 in the American Journal of Numismatics. Once considered rare as a newest discovered Canadian numismatic treasure Samuel & Henry Chapman sold a example for $4.75 in the July 1881 sale of the Marshall Lefferts collection and this token was valued at $5.00 in 1883 just a few years after having been issued. Obverse: Beaver facing right with a twig in its mouth with script “Jacques Cartier House, St Roch, Quebec”. Reverse: Script of six lines occupy the whole field – “One Cent Payable at H. Gagnon & Company, Crown Street, Saint Roch, Quebec “. The dies for this token were engraved in New York and to prevent any Canadian Customs interference or interruption were sent not to Quebec but to Saint Epiphanie a small village about a hundred and fifty miles down the river. The coins were struck there by a tinsmith named Garnet. H. Gagnon & Company was a firm which conducted a extensive retail business in dry goods and struck these tokens to their customers as an enticement for them to return. This was the only token issued as there were rumors that the government intended on interfering with any of their further issues. Among the 1,000 issued, 200 were instantly purchased by prominent Canadian coin, currency, medal, and token collector Mr. Cyrille Tessier of Quebec. Both long and short branch twig die varieties exist with one end projecting beyond the beaver’s mouth to nearly the grass. The example shown here is a short branch variety and all have soft centers and excessive die polishing lines.