Hi guys, A nice polite person emailed me asking what type of coin / token this one is ? Any advice ???
It doesn't appear to be a coin. No denomination or date. The legends don't make sense to me. Not the usual Latin words you would see on a coin. The lettering style looks like the 1400-1600. but the flat, centered strike makes me think it's post 1600. The large Cross looks like it could be Portuguese, but the shield on the other side has some fleur de lis. Wild guess is that it's some sort of European counting token or game piece, maybe from the 18th century.
As @Oldhoopster indicated, it's a rather strange hybrid, and does not appear to be an actual coin. It looks to be struck on a round, machine-made flan, and appears to me to be 18th century or later, though the design and lettering style are much earlier. Modern manufacturing method (i.e. 1700s or later - I get an 1800s vibe), but late-medieval style lettering. Mimics a Spanish or Portuguese style of the 1500s-1600s. I concur that it is likely a gaming counter or jeton of some kind. Old, but not as old as one might expect.
Totally agree with @Oldhoopster and @lordmarcovan logic. Likely a 19th century reproduction that was part of a set used for educational purposes.
Many thanks guys ! It looks too 'well made' to be pre-1800s. I just couldn't figure out the mixture of lettering styles and devices. I'm pretty certain it's not Irish but we do find such a mixture of over here, so I thought I'd consult your encyclopedic knowledge before responding. As always, many thanks for your much-valued effort and expertise. Best regards, James
I agree with all that has been said - just to add the design looks very similar to many of the jettons produced by Krauwinckel in Nuremburg in the 16th century. That coin is clearly much later but that maybe where the design originated.
