Upper Canada had a short history as a
coin-issuing entity.
King George IV Posthumous Issue (1832)
This coin was a 1/2d.
token
Token may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Token, a game piece or counter, used in some games
* The Tokens, a vocal music group
* Tolkien Black, a recurring character on the animated television series ''South Park,'' formerly known as ...
bearing a portrait of King
George IV, even though it was issued two years after his death. The
obverse of this piece is inscribed "PROVINCE OF UPPER CANADA". The reverse has a representation of
Britannia facing from right to left.
Bank of Upper Canada Coinage (1850-57)
In 1850, the
Bank of Upper Canada
The Bank of Upper Canada was established in 1821 under a charter granted by the legislature of Upper Canada in 1819 to a group of Kingston merchants. The charter was appropriated by the more influential Executive Councillors to the Lt. Governor, t ...
received the right to issue a coinage due to a severe coin shortage. The coinage consisted of 1/2 Penny and 1 Penny Bank Tokens. The obverse of the coins carried a representation of
St.George slaying the dragon based on
Benedetto Pistrucci
Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855) was an Italian gem-engraver, medallist and coin engraver, probably best known for his Saint George and the Dragon design for the British sovereign coin. Pistrucci was commissioned by ...
's
gold sovereign coinage design. The reverse of the coins carried the then obsolete Coat-of-Arms of Upper Canada. The 1850 issue was struck at the
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins.
Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...
,
London, but the coins did not arrive in
Canada until 1851. Some of the 1d. pieces bear a dot between the tips of the cornucopiae, but the significance of this is unknown. The letters "R.K. & Co." is not a mintmark. It is the mark of Rowe, Kentish and Company of London, the agents the Bank of Upper Canada used to place their coin orders.
In 1852, the Royal Mint started to strike the second issue, but due to a heavy schedule and time pressure, the
coin dies and
planchets were transferred to
Heaton's Mint. There is a way that the strikings can be distinguished. The Royal Mint issue has the dies in
medallic alignment, whereas, the Heaton's Mint issue has the dies in
coin alignment.
In 1854, Heaton's Mint were asked to strike a new coinage. There are two types of '4's' in the date: a plain '4', and a crosslet '4'.
In 1857, Heaton's Mint were asked to strike this final coinage. The reason why this was the final coinage was, because the introduction of a
decimal currency into Canada was being contemplated.
In 1863, the Bank of Upper Canada complained to the Canadian government that it had a hard time trying to issue their final coinage because of the change to decimal currency. The government bought the coins and stored them in a warehouse as
copper bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from t ...
. After
Canadian Confederation, the coins were melted in 1873 under government supervision.
Popularity
The coins of Upper Canada are very popular with collectors of
British Empire coins, not only those of Canada. There are a few scarce pieces in this series. The 1857 issue is quite difficult to find. The pieces have been given the affectionate nickname of "St. George Pieces", because of the obverse design.
References
* ''Coins of Canada'' by J.A. Haxby and R.C. Willey.
{{Portal, Money, Numismatics
Currencies of Canada
Upper Canada
Coins of Canada
Copper coins