 1794 Copper Company of Upper Canada Token. Copper. Gem Brilliant Proof. Original reverse with round O's in legend. 28.9 mm. 197.5 gns. Struck coin turn. A really attractive example. The obverse and reverse are both toned in a rich medium brown. The fields above and below the reclining river god on the obverse are lighter brown and betray some original faded mint color. On the reverse there are traces of faded mint red around some letters of the peripheral legend. The fields are bright, smooth, reflective and those on the reverse are semi-prooflike. The strike is sharp with all the detail in the dies showing clearly and boldly. Very rare: there are no known mintage figures so statements about rarity are based entirely on guesstimates. The cataloguer suggests there are fewer than 25 surviving in private and public collections. The original dies for the issue were ready by July 10, 1794. Engraver of the obverse Ponthon recessed the letters around the rim at Matthew Boulton's command both to make the coins more difficult to counterfeit and to increase their circulation life. Neither concern applies to a token coinage, of course. We do not know how much Boulton charged for these dies but his August, 1794 fee of £5 and 5 shillings to Daniel Eccleston for Eccleston's Lancaster Halfpenny token (D&H Lancs. 57 & 58, also engraved by Ponthon) might suggest what he charged Governor Simcoe's agent for these.
Ex New Netherlands Coin Company.
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