Post medieval Jeton: Something for the mathematically minded

[Bruce Williams]

Hi folks,

Here's something a bit different that I hope you will find interesting.

Firstly this is NOT a coin! It is a brass jetton (also spelt with one "t") issued in Nurenberg, Germany by Hanns Krauwinkel II sometime between 1586 and 1635. Hanns K. owned the company that minted the jettons for distribution and use all over Europe. Each jetton was individually made by hand. The process involved placing a brass blank of the right size between two dies and striking the upper die with a hammer.

Jettons were used with a marked board or cloth to do basic addition and subtraction (like abacus but different method). The system was originally adopted because of the impossibility of doing even simple arithmetic with Roman numerals (pretend no knowledge of Arabic numerals and try adding CCLXXVII to MCXXXIV on paper). The system continued to be used for some time after the Arabic numbering system was adopted across Europe.

If you want to know exactly how the jetton system worked then check out this website. Highly recommended reading - IMO worth 10 minutes of your time.

This particular jetton was found by a metal detectorist in Suffolk, England (unfortunately not me). Diameter is ~23mm.

The obverse legend reads: HANNS KRAVWINKEL IN NVR which translates to HANNS KRAUWINKEL IN NUREMBERG.

The reverse legend reads: HEVT ROT MORGEN TODT which translates to TODAY RED, TOMORROW DEAD.

Bruce

[beetleman]

You captured this "coin" very well Bruce. Super job. The information is great also...very good reading. . One question "TODAY RED, TOMORROW DEAD" what does that mean??

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks Doug - praise indeed from the "Coinmeister" himself.

Well as far as I have been able to establish, the expression TODAY RED, TOMORROW DEAD refers to the frailty of life - the briefness and uncertainty our time on Earth. The Japanese have a saying "asa no kougan, yuube no hakkou" which translates to "A rosy face in the morning, white bones in the evening" (source: languagerealm.com).

Bruce

[MacroLuv]

Very nice piece of metal, Bruce.
With patina and some royal simbols, crowns and lilacs.
Speaking of expressions here we have one: ŽUTI ŽUTUJU A CRVENI PUTUJU. I'll try to tanslate: YELLOWS ARE YELLOWING WHILE REDS ARE TRAVELLING. Which means that many ones with yellow "sick" face or skin color stays but many ones with red "healthy" color "travels" out from this world.
Did I translate and explain correctly to make it understandable?
Put some "a" or "the" inside expression if needed.

[Bruce Williams]

Thanks Nikola.

Yor translation was perfectly understandable - I imagine these sayings all go back centuries - to a time when populations were regularly decimated by bubonic plague and other such nasties.

Bruce