unknown coin or token?

I found this token or coin, after metal detecting near a civil war camp in Tennessee. I took it to several coin dealers and none were able to identify what it is. This Token or coin is about the size of a quarter. Seems to be made of bronze. I posted a pic for further identification. One side has a shield with two castles and two lions diagonally and a crown on top, the other side has a crown with the initials V B. There is no other writing or dates anywhere on it. Does any one have any clue what this is?

 

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I believe it is a game counter.

 

Thank You Jody, But what is a game counter and if it were a game token why is there no amount of denomination or any writing like "no cash value" etc. perhaps there is some meaning as to the shield and the crown with the letters V B, does anyone have any idea what the shield represents or what V B stands for?

 

A game counter is usually a piece to a game, like a checker or a poker chip. The ones I have do not have denominations.

Not sure. The heraldic device could have been copied, and the VB could be the designer's initials.
Just guessing now though.

 

Hello GDJMSP, I think that that was a very good guess. I too, would have thought that it may be a jetton. However, most of the jettons that I have seen were thinner and flatter, and had the image of a person on them.

For those reasons, and because of the design on the (game?) token, I would have to agree with the others on this one - it appears to be a game piece. Regards, John

PS: Also, jettons were generally more 'brassy' than bronze or copper.

 

The crown looks just like whats been on checkers for as long as I can remember.

 

Right. Games, toys, etc. Have been known to have started in earlier times with metal game pieces, which, later have become plastic. Perhaps this was a checkers game piece from the 1800's or early 1900's.

John

 

Found same thing

While planting my garden I found the same item just today. I searched and found your post while trying to determine what the item is. Did you learn anything more ?

 

Although I cannot say with certainty, I would tend to agree that this is a game piece.

 

I collect U.S. and English gaming counters, and the OP's item does not appear all that similar to what I have or have seen. Neither is it shown in any of my 3 gaming counter references, although they cover only a small portion of all gaming counters, so by no means am I indicating it is not a counter, just that I could not find it in a reference, nor am I familiar with this particular piece. There is no all inclusive reference book covering all counters. While most do not have denominations on them, it is not all that uncommon to see one with a denomination. Many of the gaming counter designs are quite attractive, and many resemble circulating gold pieces of the day.

As far as what a gaming counter is, I will copy a portion of "A Brief History of the Counter" from the TAMS Journal, Volume 12, Number 6, Part II from December, 1972.

Originally counters were, as their name implies, small metallic discs used to "count" beyond the limit of one's fingers and toes. The use of reckoning counters was a fairly well established practice in the Roman world, each Roman counting house being supplied with a tesserae.

Here we have the first recorded instance in Europe of the widespread use of counters. The word tessera was also applied to the admission tokens to the Roman Games.

Over the centuries the counters (also known by many other names, including jetons, rechenpfennigen, "black money", dantes, etc.) gradually assumed use in accounting only in games, especially the card games of whist and poker, and thus gradually merged into the poker chips of today.

Most counters were produced in private mints in Tournai, Antwerp and Paris in the 15th and 16th centuries, but the scene of their greatest predominance was at Nuremberg in Bavaria in the 16th through 19th centuries.

Several renowned families of Nuremberg rechenpfennig makers dominated the production of the spiel marken over the almost 400 years of the city's preeminence as the center of counter production. Beginning with the Schultes and the Krauwinckels in the 16th century and the Lauffers in the 17th, Reich and Dorn in the 18th, the striking finally devolved upon the Lauers in the 19th. This last family is of special significance to us since most German types produced for America and England came from the workshops of the Lauers.

Founder of the firm was Ernst Ludwig Sigmund Lauer (1762-1833). Joseph Moore of Birmingham, England also became active in counter making in the 1840's and later, under the firm name Allen & Moore, produced a great many English and American counters. Kettle produced counters for both as well.

Before Birmingham could seriously challenge Nuremberg as the world center of counter-making, the industrial revolution changed the entire picture. Game counters fell victim to mass produced celluloid, vulcanite and finally plastic poker chips and by the turn of the century in 1900 had almost disappeared from the scene. However, there was some survival until World War I, as shown by a number of dated specimens coming from German mints after 1900.

That game counters were occasionally used as emergency specie is easily shown, but their primary purpose remained as always as aids to accounting.

A modern successor to the game counter is the metallic play money used in children's games. Thus the counter has come full tilt. Used in reckoning by the Romans with their cumbersome system of numerals and then later by the ignorant masses of Western Europe using the better Arabic numerals, they gradually found use in the card-game accounting of the educated and finally find their resting place again in the only really uneducated stratum of Western society, the children.

 

Found one too

My wife found one at the beach in Aruba. I have been trying to identify it, and also thought it was a game token of some kind, but still can not confirm anything.

 

My grandmother found one whilst raking in her back yard, near Kansas City, Missouri. Luckily it was in rather good condition, and since I collect coins, she gave it to me some years back. Here are some images to accompany those posted by the author of this topic.

I consulted a coin expert at one point and his opinion is that it was simply a counter, as many of you have mentioned. As for which game, he was unsure.

I truly would like to find out more information about it. Here's to hoping that someone else out there has the answers.

 

I agree with Doug that it is probably a jeton. Since jetons were issued by private mints, they could have been struck in most any metal such as silver, bronze, copper or brass. Generally, jetons are less than 38mm in diameter, and the smallest one I have seen was 15mm. Because of the intricate detail on this specimen, I don't think it could be considered any run-of-the-mill game counter. I think it was produced for a special purpose, and that coat of arms seems like it could have been British. Could it have come from the period during Queen Victoria's reign?

Chris

 

I just found 1 of these coins in a parking lot. Anyone ever figure out what it is?

 

I have also recently found this coin, and no information on it. So game piece or no?

 

Checkers anyone?

 

My boyfriend found this exact coin while landscaping in Cleveland, OH. Does anyone know if this coin is worth any value? Also, what century is this from and where can I find more research on it?


~ Sue

 

The design is a general purpose token. If you look on this link it will take you to a web page. Go down the web page to the general purpose token designs. One of the very last designs (#836) shown is this design.

http://www.vanbrooktokens.com/availabletokendesigns.htm

These tokens can be bought in bulk for a relatively low price. They are not rare.

Gene