World Tokens

St Lucia, Coaling Tokens, CASTRIES, Chastanet, uniface brass Shilling, chastanet st lucia around value, wreath below, 44mm, 18.86g (Lyall 468, this piece illustrated; Devaux type 3, this piece illustrated; Prid. 13, this piece illustrated). Central hole, some staining and surface marks, otherwise about very fine, of the highest rarity; believed the only known specimen £400-600

Provenance: J.K. McDowell Collection, Coin Galleries Mailbid Sale, 15 November 1989 (1221, part).

Marie-Louis Charles Chastanet (1839-99), a partner in Du Boulay, Minvielle & Chastanet and the managing director of the St Lucia Steam Conveyance Co, set up a coaling yard at Castries in 1870; the former company was absorbed into the firm of Minvielle & Chastanet in 1885