perdidogringo
Sr. Member
Well, this was unexpected! I only had 1 hour to go out hunting today so I visited a new area that I've been wanting to hit in suburban Chicago, IL. I figured I would just scan the area to determine if it warranted more time. After finding a couple of modern dimes and pull tabs, I uncovered a strange object that was caked in dirt so couldn't determine what it was. It was oddly shaped- almost like an octagon. It was also quite thick and had some weight to it so I figured it was a part that fell off some old machinery or maybe an old lid to something. I arrived home later and cleaned it off and could see immediately that it was probably copper. I instantly stopped cleaning it and brought out the magnifying glass. The etching that I could see said, "Province Du Bas Canada Deux Sous" and Google brought up the following information about my discovery:
The 1837 "Deux Sous" token, also known as the "Habitant token," is a notable piece of Canadian numismatic history from the era of Lower Canada (now Quebec). Issued in 1837, these tokens were primarily used in Montreal and surrounding areas, serving as a form of currency during a time when official coinage was scarce.
Apparently there were several variations of this token issued by a few Canadian banks, each with slight variations in design. Unfortunately, I can't verify which bank issued my token as there is still a lot of corrosion on the token. Here is one from City Bank: 1837 ProvinceDuBasCanada- City Bank
I don't want to risk damaging it by further cleaning, unless anyone can suggest a way to get the crud off without defiling it further? Either way, I am quite happy with this find!
The 1837 "Deux Sous" token, also known as the "Habitant token," is a notable piece of Canadian numismatic history from the era of Lower Canada (now Quebec). Issued in 1837, these tokens were primarily used in Montreal and surrounding areas, serving as a form of currency during a time when official coinage was scarce.
Apparently there were several variations of this token issued by a few Canadian banks, each with slight variations in design. Unfortunately, I can't verify which bank issued my token as there is still a lot of corrosion on the token. Here is one from City Bank: 1837 ProvinceDuBasCanada- City Bank
I don't want to risk damaging it by further cleaning, unless anyone can suggest a way to get the crud off without defiling it further? Either way, I am quite happy with this find!
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