Jeton - Catherine II 'MIT FROHEN MUTH'

[JKK]

As near as I can determine, this is a brass jeton from Germany. I have no idea of the date, or why it was minted. Clearly that's Catherine the Great, and the reverse legend is German MIT FROHEN MUTH, but beyond that I have no idea what I've got. I guess 'IETTON' was how they spelled 'jeton' in those times. Any input?

 

 

[CyberspaceVoid]

Looks more like "JETTON" to me below the horse on the reverse ... sometimes you can see clearer in the pictures than in hand

[JKK]

True, might be. That part, and part of the obverse legend at 2:00, is a little fuzzy to me.

[brg5658]

I have a similar piece that is clearly marked "IETTON". It is not all that uncommon for pieces from this era to use an "I" and "J" inter-changeably.

 

[JKK]

Interesting, and yeah, that's a lovely one. Mine is probably from a similar era. Is there a reference on these things?

[CyberspaceVoid]

Looks like the reverse may be from a similiar die. OK, now I am wondering myself

[brg5658]

Well, I wish I could help you more. It took me a while to find what I know about my piece. I am by no means an expert, but this "Mit Frohen Muth" mantra is on several jetons from the period of the late 1700s early 1800s.

 

Hopefully someone who knows more will chime in.

 

-Brandon

[JKK]

That's what my research turned up (about the jetons). I would guess it is one of a series of tokens minted (for gaming? counting?) in the first half of the 1800s depicting historical leaders, because the reverse commonality is a little too great to ignore. The sentimental reverse legend implies that they might have signified something, at least to my 21st century brain.

 

There is probably an Ultimate Token Guru, here or somewhere online, who knows. It's oddly thin; fits into a quarter flip with just less than 1mm to spare all around, but isn't quite the thickness of a Lincoln cent--a little thicker than a Roosevelt dime, if one were to caliper it. Diameter is 23mm.

[delta]

The old German idiomatic phrase "Mit Frohen Muth" should be translated as 'With Good Cheer' or probably in modern standard English we can say it means: With enthusiasm. I agree with the other previous posters who suggested this was the old equivalent of a poker chip or casino gaming token. It was not intended to be a substitute trade coin such as a Conder. I've seen similar well-worn items selling for only several bucks apiece, they don't seem to have very much value.

[JKK]

If I understand right, received wisdom says this style dates to the 1820s or 1830s, give or take. Does that sound like at least a fair guess?