A jeton fragment (surface collection, possibly perforated) with a likeness
of Louis XV (reign 1715-1774) was found at the Spanish colonial site Los
Adaes (1721-1773), in Louisiana (Jay C. Blaine and George Avery, 2005, Los
Adaes Station Archaeology Program, Metal Artifacts, pp. 70-71).  A jeton
from St. Augustine, Florida, is perforated (Kathleen Deagan 2002, Artifacts
of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500-1800, page 259).
Jetons have also been recovered from Fort Ouiatenon, in Indiana, (Vergil
Noble, 1983, Functional Classification and Intra-site Analysis in Historical
Archaeology:  A Case Study from Fort Ouiatenon, pp. 160-161), and the 1760
wreck of the Machault (Catherine Sullivan, 1986, Legacy of the Machault.  A
Collection of 18th-century Artifacts, page 31).  I think one was also found
at Fort St. Joseph, in Michigan (Mike Nassaney, pers. comm.).  Ivor Noël
Hume (1991, A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America, pp.171-173) discusses
jetons on British colonial sites, mentioning that they were traded to the
American Indians, who wore them as necklaces.  Hope this helps--


George Avery
Dept. of Social and Cultural Analysis
Stephen F. Austin State University


-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jay and
Beth Stottman
Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 9:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: French jeton

Some of my colleagues at the Kentucky Archaeological Survey found a token
which we have identified as a French jeton in an early nineteenth century
context in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.  This is the only one that we know
of that has been found in Kentucky and perhaps the region.  We would like to
know where else these artifacts have been found archaeologically and about
their context.  Also, we are looking to explain why it was there and what
its value might have been to someone on the frontier at that time.  If
anyone has found or knows where jetons have been found previously, we would
greatly appreciate some information.  Here is a description of the jeton
that we found.

 

The jeton is French but manufactured in Nuremberg. The token is brass with
gold plating. The obverse contains a bust of Louis XVI surrounded by the
Latin phrase Ludovicus decimus-sextus Dei gratiâ Franciœ Navarrœ Rex. The
image on the reverse face portrays Diana with a bow (on left), hunting dog
(center), and trees (on right). The phrase Rech Penn is also stamped on the
upper part of the reverse. The rim of the token is decorated with a grano di
riso (grains of rice), or hashed, pattern. Based on the identifiable
decorative elements, we think this jeton was likely manufactured sometime
between 1774 and 1791. 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Jay

 

M. Jay Stottman

Staff Archaeologist

Kentucky Archaeological Survey