Jetons in France tend to be commermorative medals that are struck like coins but ordinarily are made of brass or other lesser medals rather than gold or silver. They originally were used as 'counters' throughout the Western world rather like the beads on an abacus. Later, they were used in some countries as 'chips' or 'tokens' in gambling games. In France, however, as in some other nations, they came to be used as propaganda tools, depicting the current ruler, his accomplishments or members of his family.
I did not see that many jetons in coin shops as an adult. It was only recently that I found quite a few listed on Ebay. I always look at Napoleonic memorabilia as well as items that deal with Lawrence of Arabia. Usually, all of these items are too expensive for me to be able to bid on or purchase. It was on the Anniversary of Napoleon's Death this year that I first saw jetons dedicated to him.
The jetons I found interested me precisely because they had been modified, thereby losing most of the small value they had. Made of brass or a combination of base medals, a small ring had been added to the original 'coin', allowing it to be worn on a chain or watch fob.
The subject matter was interesting to me as well. One of the larger jetons had Napoleon's tomb at Les Invalides on the reverse. The smallest one depicted his son, Napoleon II, otherwise known as 'The Young Eagle'. His official title was the 'Duke of Reichstadt' and this was the title given on the brass jeton with the date 1832. Was the jeton made in 1832? Who knows? Unlike coins with specific weights and values, jetons were not used as currency and therefore any date is as likely to refer to the date of the event depicted on the counter as the date of manufacture.
Roman and Greek jetons probably are the first to have been made in Europe. They were known as 'calculi' from the word for limestone or pebble. (Calculus, the word from which is derived our 'calculation'). These stones were shaped like discs or balls cut in half. Other ancient jetons were made from glass or bone. They were made to be pushed over a counting board. Thus the French named them 'jetons' from the verb 'to push' or 'to toss'.
The metal jetons appear to have surfaced in Europe in the 13th century during a revival of international trade probably fueled by the Crusades. A wooden board with lines was used as the surface. Less frequently, cloth inscribed with lines could be used but because of its durability, a wooden board was preferred. Remember that zero did not exist where calculations using Roman numerals were concerned.
If any one is interested in the method by which jetons were used to calculate, it is not too difficult to visualise. A series of horizontal lines on a wooden board or stone surface represented the various Roman 'units': I, X, C and M. V, L and D would be given a place between the lines. The result would be a 'tree' with the higher numbers at the top and the lowest at the bottom. Numbers could be separated by vertical lines. By adding or removing counters or jetons, one could arrive at a solution for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems.
Of course, it is much easier to calculate with the use of zero and Arabic numerals became popular among accountants and then with the general public. Even then, many merchants and households, both secular and sacred, continued to use jetons to calculate.
The use of jetons in gaming houses would be a little different and would be rather like the use of 'chips' in modern casinos. I doubt that they would have been used much in private homes but only in public gaming houses throughout Europe. It would be a way to lend money to patrons as well as a method by which to keep real coinage 'safe' from possible criminals during the course of the games. The real money could be kept under lock and key.
It appears that the manufacture of jetons throughout the Middle Ages and beyond occurred mainly in France and the Netherlands. It therefore is no wonder that many jetons bear the profile of a French monarch or ruler.
My Louis XIV jetons were extremely large but the three I collected of Napoleon are quite small. As they are made of base metal, I probably shan't wear them as jewelry but would like to think of another ornamental use for them as the ring allows them to be strung on a chain or string. Evidently a small group of collectors have interested themselves in jetons for centuries. It is only with the advent of Ebay that individuals have a wider market from which to find these charming trinkets.
Below are photographs of the three Napoleonic jetons. One has an heraldric device on the reverse that may be Spanish rather than French. Napoleon and his family ruled many nations briefly. I wear a gold 40 Franc French coin from the Emperor's reign that proclaims him to be 'Re d'Italia' as well as Emperor of the French. His brother Joseph was the very unpopular King of Spain for a few years. The Lion Rampant was a device of Leon as well as the House of Savoy. If these jetons are contemporary with the life and death of the Napoleonic dynasty, the place of manufacture of the jeton bearing the heraldric rampant lion could be Spain or Italy if not France. The lion rampant was a very popular device, used by Scotland, England and other nations as well, but I mention Spain and Italia because both were ruled by France during Napoleon's reign.
I believe that these particular jetons were owned by other devotees of the Emperor. The popularity of this Emperor has not decreased, despite the passage of time and staunch supporters can be found throughout the globe even now.
