I scanned auction sites, searched case after case at shows, asked dealers who seemed to have it all. And finally, I got one.
This token was produced in the 1590s for the city-state of Groningen. The slender copper piece was issued by the City Council and valued at three stuivers. They were apparently used to obtain beer and wine at the Rathskeller (city pub).
Groningen was a trading center and member of the Hanseatic League; it was a powerful and independent city-state until it became part of the Habsburg empire in about 1536. Afterwards it joined the Republic of the Seven United Provinces. The token was minted during the Dutch Revolts.
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| This token came from the ground in England. The PAS lists five others from the eastern counties. Jamestown leads the way with 17 pieces found. |
This token is quite scarce, but the demand seemed to be low before it was associated with the excavations at Jamestown. It is an essential part of the JT collection, as 17 pieces have been discovered thus far (the latest one was dug this past summer just north of the church tower where the 1608 extension was located). Seventeen is quite a large number and has invited speculation: Why so many?
The Groningen tokens have been scattered all over the fort in various pits, cellars, and trenches. Ten have been found in sealed contexts of the fort period (that is, prior to 1624), whereas the other seven were discovered in disturbed soil strata. Three dates have been represented: 1590, 1591, and 1593. Of note, only about a half-dozen Groningen tokens are listed among individual finds across England as listed in the PAS database: these tokens are dated 1590 or 1591 (I could have missed a listing or two since the PAS is not consistent in the way coins are indexed). Still, not many have been unearthed.
The coin I was lucky enough to obtain also came from the ground in England. It was not listed in the PAS. Clearly, the PAS data underestimates the numbers.
The JT Groningen tokens are part of larger group of tokens that have puzzled numismatists. A larger number of so-called Kings Touch tickets have been found (about 60), plus a smaller group of lead tokens (about 14). As such, many token were brought over during the fort period -- and many of these were found in early contexts with a TPQ of about 1610-11. Adding to this number is a massive group of Irish coppers (mostly pennies, a few half-pennies).
A mystery for sure.
For the Jamestown collector: the Groningen is a piece of this mystery. It seems to be an unlikely member of the American colonial series. Such a cool piece.
Thank you for this very interesting article. Do you know whether accummulations of Groningen tokens have been found elsewhere in what were the American colonies?
ReplyDeleteI know (indirectly) of one other Groningen token found in the North American Colonies; it was found in Gloucester County about 15 miles from Jamestown. Beverly Ann Straube has hypothesized in her Doctoral Dissertation that they were deliberately brought to Jamestown for use as a token currency, but the evidence is thin -- based on sheer numbers, the presence of other "odd" tokens found at Jamestown, a single quotation of "copper coin" at Jamestown, and subsequent fort economies. It was Dr. Staube who mentioned the other found piece. Most Groningen token finds are in the Netherlands. I am not sure how scarce these tokens are on the international market, but it took me two years to find one. They are popular since being connected to Jamestown.
ReplyDeleteThanks, SCD. It would be interesting to map out other European coins or tokens in the colonies that were restricted to very small collections. We know of cobs, lion dollars, etc., but what of others whose circulation was very circumscribed and perhaps whose presence was the serendipitious action of one or only a few people?
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