MEDIEVAL JETTON

1300

Medieval jeton; struck copper alloy jeton of probable French manufacture and medieval date. Obv. Crowned bust facing, in imitation of contemporary English pennies TES[T?]E.DE.[RO]I.[]OLVEC Rev. Long cross with lys terminals, expanded in the centre to form a lozenge. Lys in centre. Six-pointed mullet in each quadrant. MA / EL / MA / VE Diameter 22.1mm, thickness 1.2mm, weight 2.26g This jeton has been rather elusive to classify and parallel. The only similar example I have found is in a paper by Thomas Snelling published in 1769 (see reference below). The illustrated token has a similar portrait with the inscription 'TESTE.DE.ROI.AOVROVVSE' on the obverse and has the inscription '+A/VE / MA/RI' on the reverse. It is described in the text with a group which are considered to be tokens made by private authorities (e.g. "Communities, Abbies, Monasteries, Churches, &c.") rather than public authorities. It suggest that "those with the head on one side, and the cross on the other[are] as ancient as any, but can determine nothing in regard to their age, or where struck" but goes on to comment on the dates of English sterling with similar designs. This parallel suggests that the reverse inscription of the current example may be a mis-representation of 'Ave Maria'. The obverse inscription also seems similar, referring to a king of some type. Interestingly, 'Olvec' is currently a reasonably common French surname. Ref: Snelling, T "A View of the Origin, Nature, and Use of Jettons or Counters" (London, 1769) plate 1, pp. 6-7