Page 20 - May-JOA-22

Love Tokens

by Judy Gonyeau

here is a difference between tokens of married couple. There are other references saying
love and love tokens. One has a broad the treizain represented the purchase of the
bride’s virginity. Or, if you look for a Biblical
Tspectrum of acceptability; it could reference, it was intended as a symbol of the
be anything from a single flower to a bridegroom’s commitment of his life and
souvenir to a piece of jewelry. Love property to his wife.
tokens, on the other hand, are part of Wedding coins were carved with
a historic tradition whereby a coin is symbols of love, names, dates, and signs
of Catholic unions such as double
sanded down and then engraved with flaming hearts or a man and woman
a new design such as a set of inter- shaking hands. Over time, these became
twined initials, a bird, or some other known as “marriage medals” and the
symbol of love. These are real coins tradition of giving a marriage medal to a
that had a face value but now have couple continued through the start of the
20th century; some are still given from
only sentimental value to the giver, time to time in France and Spain.
receiver, and collector. Examples across time represent a mix of
skill sets, pointing to the makers being both
artisans and amateurs. Copper coins were the
most popular used to make love tokens, and other
History
Shortly after the invention of the coin, they were momentos that noted the birth of a child or
used as good luck tokens and symbols of a promise – a commemorated an important family event. Half-pennies,
physical reminder to the bearer that they will have pennies, and two-pence coins were the most
a little extra luck or will stick to their mission as Flower design on this 1876 Seated Liberty dime common coins used. The softness of the metal
they go about their day. These coins were typically made it easy to sand down the images and make marks for a new design.
bent (called “benders”) or marked in some way so the owner did not Meanwhile, in England, engraving coins started to gain popularity
spend it or mix it in with other change. in the late 1600s and into the 1700s. In the 1700s, convicts who were
The beginning of customized coins being used as love tokens erupted about to serve a sentence—sometimes being sent to a penal colony in
in the 13th or 14th century. Some of the oldest examples were those Australia—would use the coin as a remembrance token and give it to
given by sailors about to go to sea for months (or even years on end) to their wife, children, family members, or a sweetheart.
his sweetheart just before they left.
According to the Museum of London, “Excavations and mudlarking
expeditions on the Thames river banks have often uncovered bent or
bowed coins ranging from as far back as the 16th century. The breaking
of gold and coins were often included as part of the marriage ceremo-
nial contract, as noted by Loreen Giese in Courtships, Marriage Customs,
and Shakespeare’s Comedies (2006), but ardent suitors would often bend

oseph Smith/Smyth was a 33 year old brickmaker, sentenced
to death for burglary in 1817. Luckily for him his sentence
Jwas changed to transportation for life and he sailed to Sydney
on the Batavia in October 1817. Before he left, Joseph made this
love token for his beloved wife Mary as a keepsake for her to
remember him with. At the time he made it, his sentence was still
“death.”
He arrived in Sydney in April 1818. Because he was a trained
Love tokens from mudlark Steve Brooker’s collection. brickmaker Joseph was likely put to work making bricks for the
Note the bent coin, top middle, and the spelling of “Voilet,” top right. Hyde Park Barracks.
the coins and present them to the lady they wished to court as a symbol In June 1819 his wife Mary was convicted of pickpocketing
of the strength of their love, affection and intent.” and sentenced to transportation to NSW “for life.”
In medieval France, there was a tradition of giving a set of 13 It is thought that Mary brought the love token with her, but
“treizains,” or “wedding coins,” during a Catholic wedding ceremony. we don’t know if Mary and Joseph ever saw each other again.
The priest would bless the coins and give them to the couple. The coins Joseph was still working as a government bricklayer in 1822
meant they would now be entering the community as a properly and he died in 1832. Mary went on to marry another convict,
John Percival.
sydneylivingmuseums.com.au
18 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles