Skip to content

Subject: Barbados -- History -- 19th century

No additional authority information available for Barbados -- History -- 19th century.


Trade Coin Issued by Moses Tolano, Bridgetown, Barbados, circa 1834Trade Coin Issued by Moses Tolano, Bridgetown, Barbados, circa 1834

Trade coin issued circa 1834 in Bridgetown, Barbados by Moses Tolano, a merchant at 33 Swan Street. The obverse depicts "MOSES TOLANTO BARBADOES" with a bale and the initials M.T. The reverse shows "FREEDOM WITHOUT SLAVERY" with a six-petal rosette and a barrel with the initials M.T. Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834. A Moses Tolano, a 38-year-old merchant from 33 Swann Street, was buried on May 30, 1852, according to records from the Bridgetown Synagogue. While the spelling of the surname differs slightly, it is believed to be the same individual. Information based on Shilstone's "Monumental Inscriptions...Synagogue...Bridgetown, Barbados."

Trade Token of Moses Tolano, Bridgetown, Barbados, circa 1834Trade Token of Moses Tolano, Bridgetown, Barbados, circa 1834

Pre-Civil War trade token issued circa 1834 in Bridgetown, Barbados, by Moses Tolano, a merchant at 33 Swan Street. The obverse depicts "MOSES TOLANTO BARBADOES" with a bale and the initials M.T. The reverse reads "FREEDOM WITHOUT SLAVERY" with a six-petal rosette and a barrel with the initials M.T. Slavery was abolished in Barbados in 1834. The Synagogue of Bridgetown records the burial of a Moses Tolano, 38, son of Joseph Tolano, a merchant at 33 Swann Street, on May 30, 1852. While the name varies slightly in spelling, it is considered the same individual. Information derived from Shilstone's *Monumental Inscriptions...Synagogue...Bridgetown, Barbados*.