During the 1830s and the Patriotes Rebellion in Canada there was a shortage of small change, which encouraged private companies to carry out several copper coins. The first token of Quebec was that of an ironmonger named John Shaw. This was a token strike on one side various tools sold in his business, and the other in his name and the place Upper Town Quebec.

In 1838, he created pennies representing a character on the reverse wearing a sash. Even if it's the year 1837 on the token, it was really struck early in 1838 by several different banks, including Quebec Bank which produced 120,000 1/2 penny and 240,000 pennies.

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, and are known from archaeological evidence to have circulated in Upper Canada as well. These tokens are classified as "semi-regal" by Canadian numismatists, as they were authorized by the colonial government.

In 1837 the Bank of Montreal applied for permission from Britain to import copper tokens. Permission was granted, but only on the condition that the other major commercial banks of Montreal also participated. The other banks agreed, and an order was placed with the minting firm Boulton and Watt in Birmingham, to produce the tokens, each containing the name of the issuing bank on a ribbon, featured on the reverse of the token. 

The obverse of these tokens portrays the standing figure of a habitant in winter dress, with his tuque, frock overcoat of homespun with hood, moccasins, sash and whip. It was thought that the figure resembled Louis-Joseph Papineau, a leader of the Rebellion of 1837, and the tokens became known as 'Papineaus.' 

The habitant design was subsequently revived on tokens issued by the Quebec Bank in 1852, and for several decades bank tokens made up a large part of the small coins in circulation.

Montreal's coat of arms was designed by its first mayor, Jacques Viger, after his election in 1833. The first arms were similar to the one used by Montreal today. The shield was divided by X-Cross (saltire gules as described in heraldry). In each one of the divisions was a symbol representing the four groups which helped found the city: a rose for the English, a shamrock for the Irish, a thistle for the Scottish, and a Canadian beaver for the French. The adopted motto was Concordia Salus, translated as "Salvation through Harmony" is currently the motto for the city of Montreal, Quebec and Canada.

OBVERSE: Canadian Habitant standing in traditional winter costume, period point in between value and country name.

Lettering: DEUX  SOUS • PROVINCE DU BAS CANADA  

Translation: Two Sous Province of Lower Canada 

Design: James Duncan

Engraver: John Shaw

REVERSE: First coat of arms of the Province of Montreal in French and English.

Lettering: BANK TOKEN CONCORDIA SALUS QUEBEC BANK 1837 ONE PENNY

Latin: Concordia Salus

Translation: Salvation through Harmony

Engraver: John Shaw

EDGE: Smooth

Designer: James D Duncan 1806-1881 (Irish-Canadian painter, printmaker, draftsman, illustrator, photographer and educator)

Engraver: John Shaw (Iron Monger, Soho mint engraver) 

Mint: Soho Mint, Birmingham

Mintage in 1837 240 000 with period

Country              Province of Lower Canada

Issuer                       Quebec Bank

Issuing date             1838

Type                  Circulation Token Coinage

Year                      1837

Value                       1 Penny - 2 Sous

Currency            Pound

Composition           Copper

Weight                17.95 g 

Diameter                 34 mm

Shape                    Round

Orientation          Medal alignment ↑↑

Demonetized      Yes

References          Breton #: 521, Charlton #: LC9B1, LC9B4, McLachlan #: 109, Courteau #: 12,14 

                                Sandham #: 29, Haxby-Willey #: 183, Batty #: 321-335, Km #: Tn11, Willey #: 757, 759