SHANGHAI: 2 1/2 cent token, ND (1926), Lec-A3, Numista-238524, TC-636595, 2nd series, struck in brass circa 1926, error strike with residual metal in punch area, "2 1/2" punched out at center, GOOD FOR / 2 1/2 CENTS around // C. G. O. CO. LTD / SHANGHAI, a pleasing mint state example, PCGS graded MS62. The China General Omnibus Co., Ltd. was a British-owned bus company established in 1923 by H. E. Arnhold, a prominent British businessman and one-time chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council. The company was registered in Hong Kong but operated exclusively in Shanghai, where it opened to the public in October of 1924. It initially comprised six vehicles and serviced a single 6km route between the Bund and Jingan Temple within the International Settlement. The company was later acquired by the Sassoon family and expanded to about 20 routes with a total distance of more than 100km. It continued to operate until 1941 due to the looming threat of war and eventually underwent liquidation in 1947.
