Bill P. writes: I have what appears to be a French 1 sol billon coin with the garlanded young head of Louis XV facing to the right with the legend “LUD·XV·D·G·FR·ET·NAV·REX” on the obverse. On the reverse is the crowned monogram of Louis consisting of two foliated and intertwined script letters “L” with three interspersed fleur de lis. It is the legend on this side of the coin that puzzles me because it is not the usual legend seen on French coins of the period. It reads, “MICHAEL·LEICHKAUT·K[?]ECH·PFE”
There is no date nor mintmark that I can see; the coin is quite thin and measures 18 mm in diameter. Can you please help me with the identification of this coin? Thank you, Bill
I think what you have is a jeton . This is the French word for “token” and jetons saw duty as emergency money, store cards or “good fors” and counters. The last use is probably the most important. As late as the 19th century many parts of Europe still were counting in Roman Numerals. (Try multiplying XVII x XVI). The jetons made math easier by allowing counting similar to that of an abacus but laid on cloth or paper. Moving the jetons around allowed a merchant or trader to determine how much was owed or how much to give in change.
Jetons were often modeled on official coin designs but at least one side was completely different and might include an advertising or political message. The tokens are almost always minted in base metal.
