102031 | NETHERLANDS. Maastricht. St. Martin cast brass Funeral Token.

102031  |  NETHERLANDS. Maastricht. St. Martin cast brass Funeral Token (Begrafenisloodje). Dated 1733. Receipt for prepaid funeral expenses (30mm, 12.08 g, 6h).

 

Skull and crossbones; star below / S MARTINI, Saint Martin riding horse left, head right, giving his cloak to a beggar to right. Edge: A few light marks, otherwise plain.

 

Minard 357. Very Fine details. Yellow-brown surfaces; lightly cleaned. Cancellation ring on horse and skull (evidence of payment for funeral). Rare and interesting.

 

Begrafenisloodje served multiple roles in the Low Countries during the 16th-19th centuries, acting as payment for gravediggers, pallbearers, or other funerary expenses, or acting as a commemorative for the funeral of the deceased—either to those attending the ceremonies or to the respective church in remembrance of the departed. Where they were utilized to indicate payment, a punch was generally placed upon one or both sides to act as a form of "cancellation" for the services rendered and payment received.

 

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