Coins and Historical Medals

Canada, North West Company, copper Token, 1820, bust of George IV right, token above, date below, rev. beaver centre with inscription north west company above and below, edge grained, 10.24g (Br. 925; FT. 10B). Customary piercing at 12 o’clock, toned with brown patina, some scuffs, otherwise very fine and extremely rare [slabbed NGC VF 35 BN] £5,000-£6,000

The Northwest Company was one of the most significant institutions involved in the North American fur trade during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Founded in Montreal in 1779, the Company grew to be the biggest competitor to the Hudson Bay Company. This token was issued in 1820, and valued at one beaver pelt, exchangeable in one of the Company’s many outposts and supply stations in the Columbia and Oregon territories. The following year the company merged with the Hudson Bay Company, making this token a one year type. The tokens are believed to have been struck in Birmingham, by John Walker & Co, with examples most commonly struck in brass. This copper issue, therefore, is one of the rarest and most sought after examples of pre-federal Canadian currency.