Ian

Here's a few more `train' ones........ A jeton issued by Douai Chamber of Commerce and commemorating the Paris to Douai railway provided by the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer du Nord. Jeton issued to commemorate the opening of the Paris - Orleans line a jeton issued in 1844 to commemorate the opening of the line from Orleans to Chatearoux.

That looks chest right to me.

Here's a pic of a 231 C which apparently saw service under a different guise as early as 1913 (?) http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fr/steam/...LM_231_C_17.jpg The train on the medal concerned looks to me to be more like a 230B (see image below) than the 231 C http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/fr/steam/...B114_Mulh01.jpg Certainly the CF du Nord was operating long before the 231 C (Nord) came into existence in 1923, So it would be reasonable to assume (across a very wide chasm of ignorance I may add..... ) that they were using the 230 B 's and probably the 231 B's before they took delivery of 231 C's. The first record I can find of their purchasing a loco was the `Eugenie' which was built by Fairbairn for the 1855 Paris Expo.

Shall we say it's a bit shy of what could have been achieved (if gauged against swiss shooting medals for example).

It's not uncommon for the Paris mint to do that. they have a lengthy history of using good designs more than once. Here's another few from my `train set'. Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de L'Est, engraved by Frederic Vernon circa 1900. Compagnie Chemin de Fer de Lyon a St Etienne. This line was commenced in 1826 but was not fully completed until 1833. First `trains' were horse drawn, so this medal / jeton de presence is most likely to have been struck to commemorate the full opening of the line.

The design of the train is indeed the best indicator of the date of design. The train is a type 231 which places it late 1890's -1912. The Gard du Nord is a bit of a red herring in relation to trying to date the item. The station was redesigned and completely rebuilt under the auspices of the Rothchilds in the 1860's. The Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Nord itself ceased to exist in 1937 when it became a part of the national rail system SNCF. Perhaps the item was struck as a final memento for the board members and highlighting the `glory days'. Here's an example (in bronze) of the `Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de L'Ouest' that was struck in 1909 to commemorate the company being in administration! Today, that thought would be quite bizarre! The company was taken over by `Chemin de Fer de L'Etat', a state owned railway board that had been set up some years previously as a `bail-out' for a number of smaller and floundering railway companies'. This company became the fore runner for the formation of SNCF in 1937. The obverse of the medal depicted below appeared on earlier medals (in both silver and bronze) when the railway represented was having greater success.

I don't know if it is the schoolboy that still resides in me or what but I find that i've ended up with quite a number of items in my collection that have `transport ' as a theme in one shape or another. This one is about `trains'. It is described as a `jeton de presence' but at 50mm it is the largest `jeton' i've ever heard of. Clearly this is where the whole subject of `is it a jeton or is it a medal?' gets really fuzzy. I'm uncertain as to the date of issue as the information on this piece seems to be fairly scant. It was however engraved by A. Temarque and issued for the opening of the new Gard du Nord in Paris circa 1865. http://www.numisrail.fr/medailles/?row=10&...&qs=du+Nord The obverse shows an industrial scene with a train running through it. The allegorical figure depicts the fruits of the commercial activity brought about by the rail link. The reverse shows the Gard du Nord. Any further info gratefully received.

A couple of new arrivals to my collection.........

Not being either Swiss or a shooting afficionado, my interest in shooting medals and talers is purely for their relative aesthetic value rather than any historical or social context. Thankfully, I do not have any compulsion to collect shooting ephemera. I've got enough of a compulsion to contend with collecting with french jetons and world coins in general as it is. Currently awaiting the arrival a further ten shooting medals purchased last month. Will only post them if there hasn't been any examples posted recently. Ian

The interest I have in shooting medals has emanated directly from my initial interest in and subsequent collection of Swiss shooting talers and `so called talers'. I have always had a thing for city views, scenery, and architecture and find the depth of field obtained by some of the medal strikes to be absolutely stunning. Have to confess that I find the design and strike of some shooting medals to be (cough) less than inspirational. Like any collecting field ...to each their own. While i will cherry pick and collect what draws my attention with regards to `shooters' some collectors will collect almost anything and everything in the field, and for bona fide purposes of their own. I'm surprised that there hasn't been any shooting talers posted so far. I had thought of doing so myself but presumed (perhaps erroneously) that most `world' coin collectors would have a few examples of these in their collections (?). Have to say though that while i'm not adverse to `slabbing' for preservation purposes, I find the concept of using the US MS grading `concept' to these items to be more of a joke than anything else.

two from 1576

Commemorative medal for the Cantonal shooting festival at St Gallen in 1925 by Huguenin.

Thought i'd bring this coin in at this stage......no, i'm not jumping a few to 1570 (as the actual coin is dated) but making mention of it in relation to 1578, which was the date the `crowned thistle' countermark was added to it (seen to the left of sword hilt). In 1578 the ryals (large silver coins as depicted in the image below) of James VI of Scotland and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, were all recalled and revalued from their original value of thirty shillings to thirty six shillings and ninepence. The counterstamp was the means of indicating this new value. At that time the value of coinage was directly related to the actual silver content and in 1578 the value of silver had risen significantly enough to warrant the revaluation exercise.

....moving on, here's another jeton issued for the `Cour des Monnaies' dated 1578. Someone else will have to come up with 1577.

Well let's solve 1579 for you then........... Here's a rather rare silver jeton issued for Mary Queen of Scots. When she was executed at the Tower of London the inventory of her goods showed that she had a purse containing silver jetons. While I suspect this one was probably not one of them, there wouldn't have been many others around even at that time. The other of the same date is the one and only example i've ever seen of a silver and base metal `bi-metallic' jeton. It's pretty worn byt still very collectable.

A jeton dated 1581 and struck at Paris for the `Cour Des Monnaies', the body which administered the French mints in the name of the king. Jetons at this time served a dual role. That of being a `counter', and also as being a form of honorarium / re-imbursement for services rendered. Jetons were minted for the various royal administrations, mostly on a yearly basis and distributed in purses at the New Year to the individuals concerned. In other words, a form of money minted specifically for the role(s). The numbers involved are very small in relation to normal currency. Quite an underdeveloped collecting area, but one which is seeing far more activity in the past few years than it did in the preceeding decade. The one I posted dated 1583 is from the same series `Cour des Monnaies'.

Spanish Netherlands copper liard dated 1587

Here's a French silver franc (just slightly smaller than a British crown) from 1588

A nice example Frank.

roughly `Here's to Bern and the Confederation'. Bern being one of the Cantons within the Swiss Confederation

I think i do.....but it has no date. Doesn't count for the purpose of this thread.

My latest swiss shooter arrived today. 1888 Bernese medal issued in silver for the cantonal shooting fest at Interlaken

1591 patagon from Gelders