Demerara and Essequibo coins 1832-1835

Started by Mister T, July 07, 2024, 02:22:08 AM

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Mister T

I've read that Demerara and Essequibo merged with Berbice in 1831 to create the colony of British Guianabut, the coins continued to say Demerara and Essequibo until 1836.

Was this just a convenience thing by the Royal Mint (reusing existing dies) or was there more going on behind the scenes with the merger of these colonies?

Figleaf

Chalmers says in A History of Currency in the British Colonies, page 132:

...the coins ordered in 1831, and issued in 1832, bore the old stamp of "United Colony of Demarara and Essequibo."

Further coinages of Colonial tokens, from 1 guilder to 1/8th of a guilder, were struck in 1833 and 1835 ...

All these coins were struck for, and put into circulation in, Demerara and Essequibo; none were for Berbice.


So it seems the Guilder coins were not destined for Berbice in the first place. There is a convoluted history of Dutch paper and British paper in Guilder (sic!) denominations in circulation in both colonies and London pressing to replace them with undervalued British coins (that would have been shipped back as soon as they arrived) in the background of that situation.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.