Tokens and jettons: not coins, but worth identifying

Tokens and jettons aren’t coins — but they look enough like them to fool both detectorists and identification engines. 17th-c. English trade tokens, French and Nuremberg jettons, modern commemoratives and casino chips all share the same disc form. The distinction matters: tokens carry their issuer’s name and often their town, which makes them genuinely informative finds.

17th-century English trade tokens (1648–1672)

The English Civil War and Commonwealth period saw a chronic shortage of small change — the Royal Mint focused on military strikes, and the official copper farthing had been discredited under James I. To fill the gap, merchants, tavern-keepers, and tradesmen in towns across England issued their own privately-struck halfpenny and farthing tokens. They are catalogued by Williamson (1889–91, revised by Boyne 1969) and now form a recognised find category.

• Period: 1648 (first known issues) to 1672 (banned by Charles II’s royal copper coinage of 1672).
• Material: copper, brass, occasionally leather (rare).
• Size: typically 17–22 mm halfpenny, 14–18 mm farthing.
• Obverse: issuer’s name and town, often a trade symbol (cock, sun, ship, three-legged stool, hand-and-cup).
• Reverse: triad of initials (surname above, husband and wife forenames below), denomination, or trade-related motto.

French jettons (13th–16th c.)

French jettons were counting tokens used with a calculating board for arithmetic in the era before Hindu-Arabic numerals were widespread. They’re thin copper-alloy or silvered discs, 12–25 mm, with imagery on both faces but no monetary value.

• Royal jettons: issued by the French crown. Often a fleur-de-lis or royal shield on one face, a cross or religious symbol on the other.
• Burgundian jettons: from the Duke of Burgundy’s household administration. Distinctive shield types.
• Tournai jettons: produced in large quantities at the Tournai mint, exported widely.

French jettons turn up regularly as UK detector finds — England traded heavily with France through the medieval period, and jettons travelled in the same accounting role for merchants on both sides of the Channel.

Nuremberg jettons (15th–17th c.)

Nuremberg, in Germany, was the dominant producer of counting jettons from the late 15th century onwards. The Nuremberg masters — Hans Krauwinckel I and II, Hans Schultes, Conrad Lauffer — produced jettons in such quantities that they replaced French jettons across most of Europe by 1600.

• Module: typically 22–30 mm.
• Material: brass or copper-alloy.
• Common types: ship of state with shield; Reichsapfel (imperial orb); rose with crown; Lamb of God.
• Legend: often a moralising motto in Latin or German — FIDE SED CVI VIDE(“trust, but see in whom”), GOTTES SEGEN MACHT REICH (“God’s blessing brings wealth”).
• Maker’s name often given on the legend: HANS KRAVWINCKEL IN NORENBERG.

Communion tokens (16th–19th c.)

A separate category — especially in Scotland — communion tokens were lead or pewter tokens distributed by Presbyterian ministers to communicants. They confirmed eligibility to receive communion at a specific date and parish. Typical features:

• Cast lead-alloy or pewter, often crude finish
• Parish name and minister’s name
• Year of issue
• Often a biblical text or motto

Modern lookalikes

A range of modern objects can superficially resemble historic coinage in field-find conditions:

• Casino chips and gaming counters: plastic and metal; usually obvious on close inspection but can fool a quick glance.
• Bus and tram tokens (early 20th c.): stamped metal discs with route or company names.
• Wishing-well coins: modern foreign coins thrown into water features. Routinely turn up as detector finds and look briefly historic.
• Reproductions and museum souvenirs: modern replicas of ancient and medieval coins. Often marked “copy” or “repro” on the edge if you look carefully.

How to distinguish coin from token from jetton

Procedural identification

1. Read the legend. Personal name + town = probably trade token. Maker’s name (Krauwinckel, Schultes, Lauffer) = Nuremberg jetton. Royal title = coin.
2. Identify the value statement. “½d” or “FARTHING” on the piece = trade token. No denomination + moralising motto = jetton.
3. Check for date. Most trade tokens are dated (1648–1672). Most Nuremberg jettons are dated by the master’s working period rather than the piece itself.
4. Match to a catalogue. Williamson / Boyne for English trade tokens; Mitchiner for jettons.