Three silver jetons of three of the most influential women in France during the 1700's. I have one of Marie Antoinette somewhere but can't quite find where I put it as yet.

First is dated 1757 of Marie Lesczynska, Princess of Poland wife of Louis XV and queen of France. Unusual to find an error like this but it has been struck off centre on an oversized flan. The resultant jeton is not as healthy looking as i've seen.



Second is dated 1752 Marie Josepha, Princess of Saxony and wife to Louis, Dauphin of France (son of Louis XV and Marie Lesczynska) and the mother of Louis XVI.



Third is not dated but circa 1771 and a very rare (according to Gadoury) silver jeton of Marie Josephine Louis of Savoy, Countess of Provence and wife of Stanislaus (brother of Louis XVI).



The French royal males certainly seem to have had a thing for women called Marie.

Beautiful!

.....yet another Maria, but earlier in the chain.

This one is of Marie Adelais of Savoy. She married the Duke of Burgundy (who just happened to be the younger brother of Louis XIV) in 1697 at Versailles.

She had a string of lovers between 1703 and her death in 1712 including the Marquis de Nangis and the Marquis de Maulevrier. Her son became Louis XV in 1715.

This silver jeton was struck for senior members of her household and staff in 1710.

Marie Antoinette, the much maligned wife of Louis XVI.

I'm not sure precisely when this base metal jeton was issued but given that she was 14 when she married in 1770, and was only 18 when she became queen in 1774, I would put this one ar between 1778 and 1784....but your guess is probably as good as mine.

Marie had a real hard time of it. She fell out with her father in law's mistress within the first two weeks of her arrival in France.. In the years that follwed she was made out to be nigh on every form of ogre imaginable by her scheming political foes in the royal court even to the point of being openly accused of sexually molesting her own child.

If ever there was a case for employing a good PR adviser hers would surely be it.