I have got a Magdalen Islands 1d. dated 1815 in my collection.It has a seal on an ice floe on the obverse,& what looks like 2 gutted fish on the reverse similar to the ones depicted on the Prince Edward Island 1/2d. Speed The Plough tokens.Do you have any information about this scarce piece & the story of its issuer?
Here's an extract from Page 53 of the book "My Father's Shoes" - An original Coffin Family History book by Ross Coffin: "... Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, aboard the frigate "Thisbe", first sighted the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Half jokingly he asked his friend, Lord Dorchester, to grant him the Islands for his loyal service to the Crown. Dorchester later took it upon himself to set the wheels in motion and raise the issue with King George III. On May 8 1798 The Magdalen Islands were granted to Captain Isaac Coffin. They remained in the Coffin's control for 105 years until 1903 and made Isaac and his heirs very rich men. Although Isaac never lived on the Islands, he made many efforts to advance the Islands forward by introducing healthy livestock and financial support. After Canada was ceded to Great Britain in 1763, the British made little effort to supply official currency for their North American holdings. In 1815, Sir Isaac Coffin became possibly the first one to rectify this by issuing an unofficial copper penny for the Magdalen Islands. The coin had the image of a seal on it with the words, "Magdelan Island Token", on one side and "Success to the Fisheries", on the other. However, the residents, mainly French fishermen, disliked Coffin and showed him little respect. It has been said that Coffin, once tried to expel his tenants on the Island but the British government frowned on the idea. " I guess above text gives you some idea of the Magdalen Islands history and the story of the coin in particular (I coloured it in blue). If you are interested further, you can find the book at: http://www.islandregister.com/rcoffin/rcoffini.html
This is from an old 1965 Charlton Standard Catalog of Candian Coins, Tokens and Paper Money p.14 After the American revolution, the Magdalen Islands were granted to Sir Isaac Coffin, who only once visited his American possessions; this was in 1815. Before starting, he ordered a large number of these coins and a coining press from Sir Edward Thomason of Birmingham. These he brought to the Islands, where the coins were distributed. It was originally intended to strike half-pennies also, but none were struck. Charlton #17, Breton #520. VG=$8.00, F=$12.00, VF=$18.00, EF=$25.00, UNC=$60.00
