Habitant token

The Habitant token were a series of tokens that were created for use primarily within Lower Canada and were issued in 1837. Produced as a successor to the popular bouquet sous, these tokens depicted a Habitant on the obverse, a traditional depiction of a French-Canadian farmer in winter clothing, and the coat of arms for the City of Montreal on the reverse. The tokens were issued in both one penny/deux sous and half penny/un sou denominations by the leading commercial banks of Montreal. They were issued in large numbers and can be easily acquired by the modern collector, though some varieties are rare and command a premium.

These tokens replaced the popular bouquet sous that the banks of Lower Canada had previously introduced into circulation. The Habitant tokens were known to still be in use over 60 years after they were originally issued,^[1] and are known from archaeological evidence to have circulated in Upper Canada as well.^[2] These tokens are classified as "semi-regal" by Canadian numismatists, as they were authorized by the colonial government.^[3]