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Description: | A copper alloy French jetton or reckoning counter dating from the late Medieval or early Post Medieval period, about 1497 - 1521 AD. The jetton was struck in Tournai under the authority of Louis XII or Francis I.The jetton shows the three circles badge of Tournai on the obverse and a cross patty on the reverse. The legends are illegible and the jetton has been over cleaned. Compare Mitchiner numbers 747 - 763.A jetton is a reckoning counter used in the calculation of accounts. They are most commonly made of copper or brass; but also silver (especially 17th century and after) and very rarely gold. The word jetton comes from the French verb "jeter," used in the sense of "to push," because the counters were pushed over the reckoning board (used like an abacus) during the calculations. The reckoning board was a chequered board or cloth like a chess board (which is where we get the phrase Chancellor of the Exchequer). Jettons are always decorated. These decorations had a purpose, sometimes religious, but usually related to the user or the principality. In the 16th century, jettons were mostly used to propagate political messages and to glorify the deeds of the ruler. There was such a great need to broadcast propaganda through jettons that they continued to be struck long after jettons ceased to be used as counters.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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