Bust & Harp Token (Lower Canada, c. 1825)

Today's share is the anonymous Bust & Harp token I had the pleasure of photographing yesterday. It's a quietly fascinating survivor from Lower Canada. Although it is dated 1820, the token entered circulation around 1825. That earlier date wasn’t accidental—it neatly sidestepped a new law passed in 1825 that banned the production of private tokens.



The design would have felt instantly familiar to Irish immigrants. With its bust-and-harp motif, it closely echoes the Irish George IV halfpenny issued just a few years earlier, in 1822–1823. That resemblance likely helped the token gain quick acceptance in everyday use.




By the late 1820s, the Bust & Harp had become wildly popular—and widely copied. More than twenty distinct varieties are known today, ranging from carefully made early strikes to later, much cruder imitations. The earliest examples, like this one, are struck in copper and were almost certainly produced in Great Britain for circulation in Canada. The later brass versions, rougher in style, were likely made closer to home.

This particular token belongs to the earliest group. It’s struck in copper and can be identified by a prominent die break behind the bust—a small manufacturing flaw that now serves as a fingerprint, anchoring it firmly in the token’s earliest phase of production.

 

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An interesting piece, and superb photos as usual.

 

Nothing in-depth today. Had too many other coins to photograph this weekend.