frank

I'm guessing Henri d'Artois, Comte de Chambord and designated Henri V by hopeful monarchists after 1830 in France?

A 1961 Canadian nickel, the one with 12? 14? sides. Sitting on top, not in the reject bin. Which means someone looked at it, considered a moment, figured "this is strange money," and left it there. (I live in Southern California.)

Carl, you're right about there being lots of collectors out there who aren't represented here. There are a number of videos on YouTube about metal detector finds --most of them are just treasure hunting, but some people are real collectors. What if CP hosted a YouTube channel about collecting? It might be very educational. We could also all become media stars.

French. In practice, more language than literature, but in training and inclination, my true love is Flaubert. (There. I've said it.) It's hard to teach French in Southern California. The moods of Balzac and Proust just don't go with all the sun.

Married with kids, 47. What occupation do you have? professor That means I can occasionally close my office door and play Yahoo Hearts. What are your vices? being really cruel to students. no, really, I'm ashamed to say that I do consider it a vice that I am often tempted by the Evil One to spend my money on coins rather than on my kids' college education. Every coin I buy comes with some guilt. But such a pleasurable vice!!! What redeems you? Not a lot. Teaching well, if I can, sometimes. Playing with the kids. Are you athletic, artsy, nerdy, boring, or all of the above? Yes. Presently I'm being athletic by proxy through my daughter's soccer games. Would you rather: backpack across the world, play shuffleboard on a cruise ship, play Halo 2? I have done the backpack thing before, I'm too old now. I would love to live in London, just to spend every day in a museum and every evening at the Royal Shakespeare. I have been on a cruise ship, once. Very odd. Fortunately we were on one of the lowest decks so we ran the stairs to keep from becoming fat as WHALES. As for Halo 2, I do have another vice: Grand Theft Auto III. Of course it's passé (like me) and far inferior to GTA IV, but I keep finding new ways of doing silly things, like riding around on the roof of someone else's car shooting all the bad guys. A creative way to waste time.

1615 jeton of Louis XIII complete with angry knife marks

These coins and jetons are getting better and better the further back we go...

Jeepers, Ian! 1642 jeton (Conseil du Roi) -- Les Coeurs Fidèles. The three hearts represent the alliance between France, Holland and ... England? I can't remember... Ian will, though...

After having been through the Châtelet-Les Halles métro station in Paris so many times, and not really knowing what the Châtelet was, it was on this site that I found out -- on your jetons, Ian! (you showed a few that pictured the original edifice on the Seine). This site is like a free subscription to a good numismatic periodical.

Ian, you have awesome coins. Please feel free to fill in all the dates you want. Edit 10/11/09: I love the taler, too, worldcoinguy. Any coin that fills up a whole side with writing like that is exceptionally cool.

Ian --I'm not familiar with that 1664 bâtiments du roi jeton --the design appears to be a formal French garden, but which? Versailles wasn't started yet ...

Bump -- 1665, anyone? (Wasn't there a plague in London that year?)

Hi ElleKitty -- It's Feuardent 3602, a jeton for Monseigneur Daniel Voysin, Maître des Requêtes, Prévost des Marchands 3 Elon --marking his third term as Prévôt. The arms on the other side are, like Ian's jeton, the arms of the City of Paris (a boat on the waves), with the motto TUTA ET SINE SORDE... working on how to translate that...

Since it's been a week, I'll bump this along. 1668 jeton of Louis XIV

1669 jeton of Maria-Theresa, Queen of Louis XIV: The Queen's role is likened to that of a magnifying glass to Louis the Sun King. Hinc splendor et ardor = "the light and warmth [comes] from elsewhere."

We now pause to thank the French, especially Louis XIV, for being so enamored with jeton-minting that it's quite easy (= cheap) to find one every year for Louis's reign. 1671 Chambre aux deniers, a common coin on eBay, snapped up by those who like bees. Hinc alitur cum rege domus = "all are fed while the King is at home" (yes, we know it's really the queen bee that leads the hive, but try telling the king that).

Well, here's another French jeton for 1673: sufficit aeternum nec deficit = it is sufficient for eternity and will not be lacking (like the ocean...)

I thought I'd submit my entry for the wordiest medal competition: white metal, 42 mm. Chronology of the Kings of England [ending with Victoria 1837], neatly divided between pre- and post-Norman rule: William the Conqueror starts the list on the reverse. It's signed W[illiam] J[ohn] Taylor 33 Little Queen St Holborn.

Jeepers, that's a beautiful coin.

Here's another 1677, a jeton from Charles II of Spain: I got it because I liked the French phrase on the coin: GECTS [jetons] POVR LE BVREAU DES FINANCES...

OK, I'll post another well-worn portrait of Louis XIV! Got to keep this going... I think Ian could probably do the 17th century all by himself, but he's trying to give everyone else a chance, and/or just doesn't want to be posting every day! 1680 jeton of Louis XIV -- "post bella triumphus" with Fame crowning someone in his war chariot, I don't know who; I haven't been able to find a catalogue description of this coin.

Woot! I get consecutive Coinstar Reject Bin posts! And the gist of my post this time is: WTF??!! I just picked up $3.68 in one scoop from the bin at the local grocery store!! 14 quarters, a dime, a nickel and 3 zincs. None of them dented or bent --why were they in the reject bin? And who the heck walks away from that much money? They must've had a big jar, dumped it in and had no idea. I would like to donate this windfall to the CP retirement fund. Also with the coins: a 1971 British penny, two 5-centavo pieces from Mexico and a *black* aluminum token that says WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES on it.

Oh, I see women walking around with poppies in their hair all the time, just not the other stuff. Well, I learn something (almost) every day on CP. Thanks for the research constanius. I've been Googling "Ceres" and "Demeter" with "Poppies" all afternoon now, and am learning more about Greek and Roman religious practices, surely more than I ever need to know. But if there's ever a quiz, I'll be ready.

Opium poppies? Hmmm... yeah, I guess they could be poppies, indeed. I never really looked. But then again I've never seen a woman walking around with oak leaves (w/acorns), olive branches (w/olives) and wheat in her hair. The first flower looks like a daisy. What about the poppies? Wishful symbols of a sleepy, happy republic?