Couple of question, What is it.? And..?

Smittys

What is the token, it's brass really thin, between cent & nickel size??
Second the 1897 20 Centavos looks AU but not much detail in center
designs,is this common effect and is it still AU.??
Pic Below

tbirde56

The DR coin appears to have been struck from worn or polished dies. Perhaps 'AU worn dies' or something similar would be a good description or 'Net VF'?

elverno

The token is a rechenpfennig, or counting token by the Lauer workshop of Nuremburg. They were originally used on counting boards, a primitive calculator made with lines, dots and counters. The origin of the word "jeton" or to throw, comes from the action of using the counters on the board. The calculations were done in Roman numerals and as Arabic numerals spread in Europe the boards were used less and less, persisting in rural communities the longest. The manufacturers of the jetons turned to selling tokens that were a reflection of current events or monarchs as a way of staying in business. If I remember correctly though counting boards didn't completely disappear until the 1850s or so.

Edited because I can't spell...

theboz11

Interesting tokens


And a Vern sighting!!!! welcome back.