USA love token on 1838 10¢

Description

Actually, it’s technically a cufflink, and I’d expect there’s another one somewhere in the world. But I think it fits in the “engraved coins that are usually described as love tokens” category.

Love tokens are pretty much a 19th century phenomenon. Maybe you worked all day and got paid a dime, but that was enough, you could save one. You also have time on your hands after work, because no TV. Maybe you amuse yourself by carving the back of your dime with your pocket knife. Your initials, maybe yours and your girl friend’s, stuck in the boarding house and you can’t see her. Maybe you give it to her, perhaps she’s charmed. It’s worth most of a dime. You could buy a steak dinner and beer at the restaurant in town, if you could get there.

A token is used like a coin but is not a coin. Rather, it stands for a coin without the value of the coin. Maybe its copper, but says its value is the same as a silver coin. Usually tokens were made privately, but sometimes governments got involved.

The word “exonumia” is used to describe all kinds of things that are “like” coins but are not coins. I wrote a blog post on that subject. Basic categories: 1. used like a coin but not issued by a national government, 2. looks like a coin but not made for spending, 3. other things that we are interested in.