The province of Upper Canada was created in 1791. It results from the division of the Province of Quebec into Upper Canada and Lower Canada. This province corresponds to the southern part of present-day Ontario.
The Provinces of Canada ceased to exist at Canadian Confederation on 1 July 1867, when it was divided into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Political unrest tore through fledgling Canada and in 1849 rioting mobs caused the capital to move from Montreal to Toronto. The Bank of Upper Canada received permission to mint copper coins, and half penny and penny tokens were the result.
In 1850, the Bank of Upper Canada received the right to issue, 1/2 Penny and 1 Penny Bank Token, a coinage due to a severe coin shortage.
The obverse of the coins carried a representation of St. George slaying the dragon based on Benedetto Petrucci's gold sovereign coinage design. The reverse of the coins carried the then obsolete Coat-of-Arms of Upper Canada.
In 1857, Heaton's Mint were asked to strike this final coinage, because the introduction of a decimal currency into Canada was being contemplated. When the colonial government changed to a decimal system in 1858, much of the 1857 issue was acquired by the government and later melted for bullion, effectively removing them from circulation and legal use as currency.
OBVERSE: St. George slaying the dragon. Lettering with quatrefoil symbols, on the right ground line Row and Kentish company initials and date between two roses.
Lettering: BANK OF UPPER CANADA R.K. & Co ✤ 1857 ✤
Mark: "R.K. & Co" - the Row, Kentish & Co.in London, through whom the order for the production of the tokens had been placed.
Designer : Benedetto Pistrucci (1783–1855), was Italian gem-engraver, medallist and coin engraver
Engraver : John Pinches (1840-1969), was an English rower, Royal Engineers officer, sculptor, medallist and author.
REVERSE: The Great seal of Upper Canada, an anchor and sword of justice crossed on a wreath of oak through which passes a tomahawk and arrow below a Royal crown and above a pair of cornucopia transversed, a segment of the Union Jack in the upper right corner. Before the merger, Lower and Upper Canada had their own individual seals. To solidify the merge a new seal was created by placing the two existing seals side by side, held together by two allegorical figures with their arms around each other’s shoulders marking the unity of the two colonies.
Lettering: BANK ✤ TOKEN ✤ ONE PENNY ✤
Designer : Benedetto Pistrucci
Engraver: John Pinches
EDGE: Smooth
Mint: Heaton and Sons / The Mint Birmingham Limited, United Kingdom
Mintage in 1857 1,500,000
Country Canada (Province of Canada 1841 - 1857)
Issuer Bank of Upper Canada
Type Bank Token Demonetized in 1858
Value 1 Penny (Years 1850-1857)
Currency Pound (1841-1858)
Composition Copper
Weight 15.87 g
Diameter 33.4 mm
Thickness 3 mm
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
References CCT# PC-6, Breton# 719, KM# Tn3