"Weird Wellington & The Penguin Lady": Bizarre carving on 1811-13 Canadian "Wellington" halfpenny

"Weird Wellington & The Penguin Lady": Bizarre carving on 1811-13 Canadian "Wellington" halfpenny



Larger picture
Larger reverse image (inverted to show the strange critter right-side up)

Host coin: Undated (ca. 1811-1813) pre-confederation Canadian "Marshal Wellington" halfpenny token (Breton-971?), large leaves variety.
Obverse: bust of Field Marshal Wellington with front outline of profile recarved.
Reverse: seated Brittania altered into bizarre bird-headed woman with small animal inverted on her lap.

Ex-"savoyspecial", Collectors Universe, 3/19/2015.

This was a dirt-cheap impulse buy that was so bizarre I just couldn't pass it up. Hold on to your hats, now... it cost me the truly astonishing sum of six whole dollars! Haha. Could YOU have passed it up for that price?

Boy, "Penguin Lady" is spooky, isn't she? How'd you like to run up on her in a dark alley? Brr... there's some nightmare fuel. Look at that sharp beak... those muscular arms. And that poor creature in her lap, which she appears to be... spanking? Petting? Eviscerating? And what the heck is that critter, anyway? I think I'll call it "The ArmadilloFox".

This piece was one of the earliest additions to my old Engraved/Counterstamped/Oddball Type Set, and a vivid reminder of how much truly fascinating historical material can be found in the exonumia category for the price of a good hamburger or less. Small wonder I'm a love token enthusiast. You might say I love love tokens! But what the original intention behind this deliciously strange piece of folk art was, we can only guess.

 

Wha-? Huhhh? Is this like one of those Rorschach inkblot tests?

A maiden? Really?

I see a critter there. Call it an ArmadilloFox, or whatever you like, but it is definitely critter-ish.

Of course interpretations may vary.

That's what's fun about this stuff.

Especially when you've bought it for six bucks.

@paddyman98 - are you like those oldtimey sailors who used to think manatees were mermaids?

 

Behold, the ArmadilloFox, right-side-up.