I know it's a longshot, but are there any jeton collectors here? I'd love to see how others are building collections. I personally have collected French jetons for several years now, and despite the lack of real in-depth information on most of them, I have still found this to be a very rewarding venture. It's the art for me, it is really that simple. The beautiful designs keep me going. And after several years of searching, I'm still finding jeton designs that I've not come across before. There are literally thousands of different designs, although it's very difficult to find documentation on a lot of them. Anyway, this is my current collecting passion. Anyone else out there collecting these? And please, if anyone has a jeton to post, please feel free to add to this thread. I'll post a few of mine soon.
Here is a description (in French) of that third piece: http://www.numishop.com/fiche-fjt_0959-mo_jet-1-CORPORATIONS_DRAPIERS_DE_LYON_1755.html So apparently it was issued by/for the drapers guild in Lyon. That is also why depicting the Golden Fleece makes some sense ... This is a dealer who sells quite a few jetons; may or may not be interesting: http://www.muenzauktion.com/saive/cat.php5?catid=3816&lang=en You can browse the different jeton categories. He also has some Général des Galères pieces (copper though). Don't know the dealer, just the platform. Christian
Thanks, Christian. That jeton is easily my favorite. I did find a bit of info about that one - It's obverse depicts the ship of the Argonauts sailing toward the golden fleece, and the reverse symbolizing the combining of the Rhone and Saone rivers in the city of Lyon. I think it's design is attributed to Duvivier, or in his style at least. Mitchiner's book lists estimated mintages, but I'd have to look it up. It's supposed to be a more common design, but I only see an example surface every once in a while. I've purchased from Saive once a while back, seems like a good dealer.
Hi, JC! I have been collecting (mostly) French, Belgian and Swiss medals for about 8 years now, and though I don't concentrate too much on jetons, I do come across one every once in a while that I find interesting. As a rule, jetons are smaller than 38mm, and the smallest I've ever seen was 15mm. Jetons were first used (mostly) by Italian merchants in the Mediterranean region and date back to about the 11th century. They were originally used as counting devices to total customer purchases much like oriental merchants used the abacus. Eventually, they began being used to keep score for table games, and the practice spread throughout much of Europe. Since jetons have no stated value, most were produced by private mints on behalf of various townships or other jurisdictioins. The reference book that NGC uses to attribute jetons is Jetons, Medalets & Tokens: The Low Countries and France, Volume II by Michael Mitchiner. It covers many specimens that were produced from the 14th century to the 18th century. The book is 8"x12" hard-bound and has a little more than 800 pages. It generally sells for $200-$225 new, but I got lucky a few years ago and was able to buy a new copy for $150 from an eBay seller in Great Britain with a "Make Offer". The book goes into quite a bit of detail on most jetons, providing (approximate) dates of production, composition, diameter, weight and even translations for many of the mottos found on the legends. Chris
Here's another of my favorites. The oval shape is uncommon for jetons, but the intricate design really appeals to me. I couldn't find much background info on this one at all.
Hi Chris! I didn't know about the Italian roots, that's good to know. I've seen (or heard of) French jetons dating back to the 1300's, but my earliest probably dates to the late 1400's. I have Mitchiner's book, but I've found several jetons that weren't covered in his book. I'd love to find the older publications that I've only heard about, can't think of the names offhand.... Gadoury's? Rouyer? Old age is settling in nicely, unfortunately.
JC, This jeton was designed by Armand Auguste Caque. He was born at Saintes (France) in 1793 and died in Paris in 1881. In 1822, he was Medallist to La Madame Dauphine (French Queen) and during this period he was commissioned to execute a series of portrait medals of the French Kings from Pharamund to Charles X. Under Napoleon III, he was appointed Engraver to the Imperial Cabinet, a post which he held from 1853-1868. (Reference: Biographical Dictionary of Medallists by L. Forrer) This particular jeton is not listed, but that isn't unusual. It was very common for some designs to be used with different reverses. In this case, it is a maritime insurance company. You will note that there looks to be a hallmark of some kind on the reverse below "DU HAVRE". The private mint that produced the obverse was probably commissioned to execute the reverse for another company. NOTE: You will see that his name along the left edge is engraved, "CAQUE F." It is sometimes mistakenly thought that the "F" represents the first name of the designer, but it is actually an abbreviation for the Latin word "fecit" (pronounced fetch-it) which means, "He made it". Chris PS. I'll try to research the others later.
No, it is not a jeton. To be considered a jeton, it would have to be smaller than 38mm, and this one looks to be about 50mm. Chris
Great info Chris, thanks! I really need to research the engravers, there are many great artists to learn about. And yes, that's a stamp under the "Du Havre", it looks like a number six to me. I always wondered about the significance of that.
Yep, looks like an English medal to me.. of which I know next to nothing, unfortuately. I do have a couple of English jetons though, I may bring them out here in a bit.
Oops! Sorry! I didn't read the insert........42mm.......but it is still not a jeton. What questions do you have? Can you tell me if the designer's name is on your Charles X medal? Chris
At 28mm, this is my smallest jeton and it was struck in copper. It has a simplistic design, but the story that goes with it is interesting. Column of the Goddess In the aftermath of the French Revolution while the countryside was still in turmoil, the Austrian army decided to take advantage of the situation and invade eastern France. They laid siege to the town of Lille and bombarded it for 8 consecutive days. The townspeople refused to surrender, so the Austrian army packed up and returned home. The "Column of the Goddess" was erected in the town square in 1845 to pay tribute to the townspeople who refused to capitulate. Chris PS. Sorry for the lousy photos.
Thank you for the information. I hope this doesn't hijack your thread, but let me ask a question that probably relates to both medals and jetons. I assume that most jetons and medals are not later reproductions. When NGC certifies them, for example, are they assumed to be authentic and minted at the date stated? For example, can it be assumed that this medal was minted during Queen Anne's reign (early 1700s) and is not a later or more modern reproduction? guy