whatisit

olmanjon

Just acquired--what is it? Any value? In BU condition--might have been cleaned though.

sumnom

I don't know what it is but it is extremely cool!

olmanjon

One dealer thought that it was a Jeton. Another said no--but thought it was some kind of medal. I don't no--but as you said I thought it was cool also and added it to my collection. 33 mm in size and slightly heavier than a Kennedy half.

Blackhawk

There's one like it here...link.

Daltonista

Nice piece! It certainly has the look of the French Colonies jetons of the same era that circulated in Canada and Louisiana...but without a denomination on it, it's tough to surmise much more about it than simply a passing resemblance. I'm pretty sure the inscription immediately above the date specifies "Colonies of France," and the beaver device is some pretty compelling evidence, I would think. The first place I'd turn for more clues would be to the front of the book in any Haxby-Willey catalog of Canadian coins and tokens, which were last published in the early 1980's, I believe. Mine are in deep storage, unfortunately, along with my Breton reprint (another good place to look) ...otherwise I'd be on it fast. A better bet is a confection of some sort...but still a lovely piece. I'll dig a little to see what I can come up with.
Best ~
Tom

olmanjon

The more I look at it the more I beleive that this is a modern copy of the orignal. It is to perfect. There is a styleized initials under the bust and the dentrals are perfect on this coin. Too much like a modern die than the old hammered pieces. Still-all and all a nice looking piece in hand. Thanks for all the info guys.

Daltonista

Hi again ~

Here's another useful link...and some prose from this website, at the very beginning of the English-language section:

<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">During the reign of Louis XV the French mint issued a series of copper and silver jetons to commemorate the colonization of Canada and Louisiana and to recognize the importance of the increasing trade with the New World. All of these jetons bore a bust of Louis XV on the obverse and a design relating to the New World on the reverse. The jeton illustrated is dated 1754 and shows two beavers at work building a dam. The inscription "NON INFERIORA METALLIS" points out that beaver skins were no less valuable than precious metals. This is believed to be the earliest use of a beaver on a numismatic item relating to Canada. This jeton is in the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada.

</SPAN>

Daltonista

Aha! It's Betts 389...see here.
Now you can search auction results to determine value.
Ain't technology grand?

sumnom

Is there any way to determine for sure if this is a modern copy?

olmanjon

Aha--it isn't the second one--it is the first one you found. Mine is more stylized then the betts. For a while there I thought I had a piece of junk--but now I think I have something. Wonder what it is worth. Was it actually minted in 1754 or is thing a restrike using todays technology? Thanks again for all the expert help. Have a great new year,
Olmanjon

STLNATS

With the "CNR" this is the type of Gadoury 399. Originals are only listed in silver and are fairly scarce. Don't see a reference to bronze/copper examples.

In addition to a much oversized flan (33mm vs 28), your piece seems too perfectly struck and too round to be a mid 18th century product. My guess would also be a more modern restrike of the type for collectors given the very popular "american" design.

Still a nifty piece and one I wish I had.

olmanjon

If you go to this website you can see a copy of my coin.
http://www.currencymuseum.ca/eng/collection/token_item122.php
It has Id number 1964.0043.00011
I collect Canadian, New Foundland, Cuban, German, Netherlands and all British coins. If you are interested in trading something give me a pm.
Olmanjon