101314 | GERMANY. Nürnberg. Copper Jeton or Rechenpfennig.

101314  |  GERMANY. Nürnberg. Copper Jeton or Rechenpfennig. Issued circa 1600-1625. Mixed (Biblical & allegorical) series: King David/Angel (28mm, 6.09 g, 12h). By H. Krauwinkel II.

 

CONFITE MINI DOMINO QVONIAM BO (give thanks unto the Lord, for He is Good), King David kneeling left, playing harp; crown to left, tree to right / DVM SPIRO FERO ET SPERO (while I wait, I work and hope), Nude angel, with head left, standing facing on globus; winged hourglass in left hand, skull from which flower grows in right; Christ upon crucifix to lower left, anchor to lower right.

 

Barnard 54. Choice Very Fine. Deep olive-brown surfaces, with some very light deposits in parts of the legends.

 

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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