101098 | GERMANY. Zellerfeld. Copper Rechenpfennig.

101098 | GERMANY. Zellerfeld. Copper Rechenpfennig. Issued mid 17th century (25mm, 2.91 g, 11h). By H. Schlüter.

 

CONSIDERA NOVISSIMA ET NON PECCABIS (consider thy end and sin no more), skull facing slightly right, surmounted by hour glass and with eye sockets pierced by worms; behind, scythe and spade crossed in saltire / HENNING SCHLUTER F B L M M Z Z, civic coat-of-arms.

 

Neumann 31695; Appel 3416. About Uncirculated. Charming brown surfaces, with some brilliance remaining in the protected areas.

 

Rechenpfennigen, German for "accounting pennies," are similar to other tokens or jetons that could serve reckoning, gaming, or even semi-numismatic functions. In particular, the rechenpfennigen were made famous by their various manufacturers in Nürnberg (Nuremberg) from the mid-late 16th century to the early 18th century, with a host of themes used as subject matter. These topics included history, mythology, contemporary political affairs, and even satire. Though many were intended as aids in accounting and bookkeeping (with an accounting board and these tokens taking the place of an abacus or slide rule), they were also useful in other functions, such as in the world of gaming—as poker chips—or in commerce and monetary transactions—as a substitute for harder currency.

 

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