Loading, please wait...
LOT 2178
Post Medieval Silver Love Token Collection
18TH-19TH CENTURY A.D.
3/4 in. (17.55 grams total, 18-20 mm).
Each coin worn flat and bent into a double-curved 's' profile, for use as a token of love. [10, No Reserve]
ProvenanceFound Tyne and Wear, UK.
This lot is for UK buyers only, not for export.
The custom of giving a bent coin as a love-token is known from the 17th century in England. The coins were usually smoothed to obliterate the monarch’s head and then bent twice; sometimes they were engraved with initials or symbols such as hearts or knots. If the sweetheart accepted the youth's advances, she kept the token; if not, she disposed of it. The tradition is referred to in the children's rhyme 'There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile, and found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.'
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Post Medieval Figural Coquilla Pipe
French Colonies, 19th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £845
Bowl formed as a jester head with prominent hooked nose and insert glass eyes, smoking a cigar, wearing a crown and prominent necklace, removable cylindrical cap to the top of the head; ascending stem with ribbed bottom and everted flat rim at the back. 177 grams, 15.5 cm
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the English art market. -
Tudor Bronze Clothes Hook Fastener Collection
16th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £13
A mixed group of hooked fasteners, including an oval with a low-relief female profile, an openwork rosette, rectangular with a low-relief of double-headed serpent, an openwork interlaced design, and some with suspension lug. 13.4 grams total, 28-37 mm
From the private collection of the late Graham Slater (1927-2024), Cambridge, UK, acquired 1980s-1990s. -
Egyptian Style Stone and Other Bead Necklace String
20th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
Composed of polychrome annular beads; restrung. 4.69 grams, 36.3 cm
From London, UK, gallery collection, 1990s.
