Posted 1 year ago
Steptoe1
(1937 items)
Hello I’ve just rediscovered this old coin & thought I would post it as I have no idea what it is or where it’s from
Antique coin | ||
| Unsolved mystery items1809 of 96329 |  |  |
Antique coin | ||
| Unsolved mystery items1809 of 96329 | | |
Posted 1 year ago
Steptoe1
(1937 items)
Hello I’ve just rediscovered this old coin & thought I would post it as I have no idea what it is or where it’s from
Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.
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Hi, Steptoe1. :-)
My gut feeling on seeing both sides of this item was that it was some kind of commemorative round with the year on one side and the customer's initial on the other.
Google Lens bore out that feeling. Here's one that isn't an exact twin, but quite similar, and the description provided a crucial clue for non-coin experts like me:
*snip*
Love/Friendship token/charm 1854 Dime engraved “CJB”
Vintage from the 19th century
Materials: Silver
This antique 1854 sterling silver dime engraved with the letters “CJB”. These coin charms were popular in the 1800’s with women who wore the charms on bracelets and pendants with the names of their friends on them. These coin charms are scarce and make a unique and special gift.
*snip*
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1404213419/lovefriendship-tokencharm-1854-dime
The description is slightly misleading in that it makes it sound like it was a genuine 1854 dime coin 'repurposed,' and I don't think that's true.
A vendor would have had to grind down or otherwise completely rid the reverse of normal imagery and text on a real 19th century dime in order to add imagery and text of their own.
In the case of yours, even the obverse isn't a completely faithful rendering of an 1854 dime.
Here is a real 1854 dime:
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces14243.html
That etsy vendor has other similar charms with different years and other slight variations, e.g.:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1389951870/lovefriendship-tokencharm-1877-dime
Here is another that, instead of the round being pierced, it has a little silver eyelet integrated into the body:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/264475432/love-token-edgar
Thanks Kerra great help , I wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t even realise that it was a dime,
Steptoe1, You're welcome. :-)
Not being a coin expert myself, I didn't realize that it was a simulacrum of a 19th century dime until I tripped on that first etsy listing. Google Lens doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot.