These coins from the 17th century, minted during the life of the cardinal duc, are called 'jetons';
a word that means a non-monetary token, such as one might use in a shopping cart today
They have marine scenes on the reverse face celebrating the 'great helmsman' Richelieu,
who was in any event Head of the royal navy of his day.
They incorporate the coat of arms of the dukes of Richelieu, and the symbol of the Sainte Ésprit, a chivalric order of the ancient régime.
The last jeton (of 1974!) celebrates the foundation in 1640 of
the Royal Printing Works
by the cardinal duc and Louis XIII.
Thanks to Wolfgang Roth
of the ideal city's twin town Schaafheim
in Germany
of the ideal city's twin town Schaafheim
in Germany
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1 comment:
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called 'heads', because it often depicts the head of a prominent person, and the reverse 'tails'.
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