103432 | UNITED STATES. Victorian Couple/"Oh, Genevieve" silver Love Token.

103432  |  UNITED STATES. Victorian Couple/"Oh, Genevieve" silver Love Token (24mm, 5.46 g, 12h).

 

1877 Seated Liberty quarter, with engraving upon reverse: Couple (man to left, woman to right) standing facing one another, clasping hands; the man wears mustache, double-breasted frock coat, and kepi, while the woman wears a styled dress and bonnet; all upon a slightly curved panel mimicking a photograph, with shaded geometric pattern around; below, banner reading "OH GENEVIEVE." Edge: Reeded.

 

Cf. KM A98 (for host coin). Engraving: Extremely Fine. Host: Choice Fine. Lightly toned.

 

Being borrowed from the early 18th century practice in Great Britain, and being related to even earlier forms of engraving on European coinage, "love tokens" were an extremely popular form of sentimental art that saw their high point in the United States in the mid-to-late-19th century, whereby coinage was smoothed down on one or both sides, and some form of initials, a message, and/or imagery was engraved so that it may be presented to a loved one.

 

In the case of this piece, the intended recipient was likely "Genevieve" and, given the attire of the gentleman—especially with his Civil War-era kepi, this piece was possibly done by a soldier longing for his beau, the aforementioned Genevieve.

 

The most commonly encountered 'canvas' in the United States was the dime, and usually one from the Seated Liberty series. At their height, the U.S. Mint blamed an alleged shortage of dimes—a staple of most late-19th century transactions—on this craze. Rising again in the early-mid 20th century during the depths of despair that were the world wars, this form of coin art, usually referred to in this context as "trench art," would see another revival, offering soldiers a brief chance at escapism through sentimental creativity.

 

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Upload: 19 December 2025.