1736 Token 1/2P A. Plebis - Hispaniola Half Penny

Coin Details

Description

Dated 1736 and bearing the legend A. PLEBIS (an abbreviation of AUCTORI PLEBIS, "By the Authority of the People"), this copper half penny is cataloged as Whitman 8400 and associated with Hispaniola — the Caribbean island shared by modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Hispaniola connection, reflected in the rarity notes' designation as a "Hispaniola-associated variety," suggests this token may have been produced for or circulated in the Caribbean trade networks that linked the sugar-producing islands to the commercial centers of the American eastern seaboard and European merchant houses. The A. PLEBIS legend connects this piece to the broader family of Auctori Plebis tokens, which assert popular sovereignty as the basis for coinage authority. Struck in copper, the coin weighs approximately 7 grams with a 28 mm diameter and plain edge. Cataloged as PCGS #966. Classified as rare, this Hispaniola-associated variety occupies a distinctive niche among Post-1776 Private and Regional Issues, bridging the colonial American and Caribbean numismatic traditions. The 1736 date places the piece decades before the American Revolution, though the actual production date remains uncertain and may be considerably later — backdating was common practice among private token issuers of the period. The Caribbean trade connection adds a layer of historical interest beyond the piece's numismatic classification, documenting the transatlantic commercial networks through which copper tokens circulated during the eighteenth century.

Rarity Notes

Rare. Hispaniola-associated variety.

Cross References

Whitman 8400