L.C. Barbeau was a dry goods merchant and broker in Montreal circa 1853-1859. According to Warren Baker in Marked Impressions (2006):

“His directory listings, first at 102 1/2 St. Paul, and from 1854 to 1859 at 154 St. Paul St., mention only his dry goods business, so the countermarks may be the only tangible evidence of another enterprise. He ceases to exist in directory listings after that date, and the classified section of the directory contains no advertisements, either as a dry goods merchant or as a broker.”

The Foster Collection contained seven Barbeau pieces, including another 1859 cent, plus a U.S. Hard Times token, an 1844 Bank of Montreal half penny, an 1853-O U.S. half dollar, a George IV sixpence, and an 1831 sixpence. The variety of coins and tokens on which the L.C. Barbeau counterstamp appears speaks to the wide variety of pieces circulating in Montreal during the 1850s.

This piece is glossy and well-preserved. It appears to be the only L.C. Barbeau representative that features the counterstamp on both the obverse and reverse.