Ian Posted December 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 3, 2015 silver jeton struck for `La Bordelaise', a maritime assurer based in Bordeaux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 Great ship scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 Ian -- I am green with envy seeing this series you've put together. Beautiful jetons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constanius Posted December 7, 2015 Report Share Posted December 7, 2015 I guess we should call this "Ian's Armada Collection" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I guess we should call this "Ian's Armada Collection" Much of the Armada remains out of sight over the horizon. One day i'll hopefully get round to scanning them but for now I only usually scan items when I acquire them. i'll shortly add a few that have just docked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 This one was struck for the Compagnie Royale D'assurances in 1817. Not in the best condition but it was cheap (one of my key collecting criteria) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 This one struck for `Le Havre' in 1904, a maritime assurer that is no longer in existence. A nice 3 dimensional piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank Posted December 18, 2015 Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 Ian -- I think you must be getting close to being able to publish a catalog of jetons like Feuardent (or, more recently, Gadoury). How many insurance jetons are there, after all? and how many do you own? plus all your other series... I am (as always) painfully jealous. That 1904 piece with the steering wheel / anchor /propeller is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2015 The reference book for these is `Numismatique de L'Assurance Francaise' by Raymond Gailhouste. The version i have was printed in 1993 and covers over 1100 different jetons/ medals issued for this industry and its various specialisms from 1670 -1993. There are considerably more when you consider that some were struck in more than one metal, Some assurers only struck one jeton (before disappearing) others have quite a number of different examples over the duration of their existence. Many are scarcer than hen's teeth, some being`reported' as having existed, but no examples known...until one turns up. For me, an interesting subject area and I haven't been keeping tab on how many I have collected to date, but definitely in the '00's for that particular theme. The earliest jeton d'assurance I have is dated 1671 (see below). Issued in 1671 for the Paris `Chambre Des Assurances' during the reign of Louis XIV. The second known design / issue for this theme, the first being the year previous. Although only in VG (my estimate of the grade), i've not seen any better example (so far!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 You have a marvelous collection Ian. Are you there pieces still being made Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 I don't collect beyond 1960, so i'm not up to speed on anything beyond that. I try to stick to before 1900 but i sometimes fAIL. Here's a few more `assurance jetons' from my collection The first was struck for `Le Pilote', a French maritime assurer. The second and third were struck for `Le Neptune' another fairly short lived maritime assurer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted December 28, 2015 Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Nice Ian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 28, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2015 Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 The toning on these is fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 another couple from my collection, this time issued in 1837 by L'Ocean, yet another maritime assurer. The toning on the second is quite beautiful but unfortunately not picked up by the scanner. I'll dig this one out and re-scan to see if my skills have improved any since producing this particular image. Oh yes,...the first jeton was withdrawn shortly after issue after protests were raised. The second die used provided Neptune with some degree of modesty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art1.2 Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Interesting jetons. The modesty thing surprises me given the time and area this was issued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagerap Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Ian, I recently saw what would be an upgrade for the first jeton I bought; But it was listed as 6 or 7 grams lighter than mine. Having checked a number of sales, it appears that the weights are all over the place. Is this common? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Firstly, I'm not sure whether the weights are all over the place or if the people weighing them are all over the place.....or both. I'm not aware of any particular note as to the weights for this particular jeton and none of my references make mention of it. However, what I can tell you is that the jeton type was probably struck in batches at the mint as required by the company then held in stock at the company for yearly distribution (between 1845 and 1880 (+ a few years) The planchets bear a very small incused edge mark along with the word `argent'. The Edge mark denotes the period in which it was struck, for example: `main indicatrice' - a hand with a finger pointing (1845 - 60) `abeille' - a bee (1860 - 80) `corne' - a cornucopia (1880 +) You will definitely need some means of magnification to tell which is which....so go have a look. That wil give you an indication as to roughly when the jeton was struck. next....there are three main variants for this jeton type, one with a slightly longer legend obverse and a stubbier font type than the one you have (it was struck between 1845 -1880+)....the type you have (struck between 1860 -80+) and the third which misses out the word `Humaine' in the reverse legend (struck 1880+) - not an error btw. All have the same date obverse (23rd May 1830) So, the first type could have any one of the three different edge marks I have mentioned; the second type (yours) could have either the bee or cornucopia edge marks; the third, only the cornucopia edge mark). So, plenty different types to collect and should be relatively easy to do so if you were so inclined I suspect that there would be some variation in the weights of the planchets used, one type to the next and one period of time to the next. I don't know for sure, but I imagine that the blank planchets were produced en masse and held in stock by `La Medaille' (the aspect of the Paris mint responsible for production of medals and jetons) in readiness for any particular strike run. As such it may well be that, if new stock was produced, there could be weight differences arising (and minute adjustments made determined by cost acceptability to the `client'. I am aware of a few jeton types where this is actually the case, and also where a very slight change to the actual silver content of the planchet has been made at the mint (1880's - early 1900's; often, but not always denoted by adding `1' before the word `argent' on the edge). Not sure if that answers your question or creates even more.... but hope it helps in any event Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagerap Posted February 13, 2016 Report Share Posted February 13, 2016 Thanks Ian. Mine has the corne mark and weighs in at 27 gr, so quite a bit heavier than the average. You have incidentally cleared up another of my niggling thoughts. I have a few medals stamped La Medaille, one even has the address, but I could never work out the connection to the Mint. I'm still wondering whether to carry on collecting these jetons, but a rather pretty Compagnie Generale Transatlantique has just come up for sale so I'm probably hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2016 ....resistance is futile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted February 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 Silver jeton struck for La Garonne, a French maritime assurer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagerap Posted February 18, 2016 Report Share Posted February 18, 2016 This is a lovely site: http://www.la-grille-verte.net/mmm/listjet.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted February 21, 2016 Report Share Posted February 21, 2016 Beautiful medal, Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Lovely pieces :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted March 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 a few more from my collection This one is a nice original jeton engraved by Jean Bertrand Andrieu and struck in 1816 for the Compagnie D'Assurance Du Havre, This one was struck in 1836 for the maritime assurer `Havraise et Parisienne'. This one struck 1836 for the `Union des Ports', another maritime assurer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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