| Brief Description |
A copper halfpenny coin from the reign of King George III, which has been made into a love token, dated 1770.
The obverse face features the bust of George III with the inscription "GEORGIVS III REX".
The reverse has the handworked inscription "ANNA MARIA/ CLINCH / RY ST / JAN. 1. / 1770".
Love tokens made from coins have been in existenance for centuries. In medieval times, until at least the late 16th century, a copper coin was bent into a cup shape by a man and given to his sweetheart as a token of his love and intention of marriage. The bent coin was never spent and were always carried by the woman as a demonstration of her loyalty and as a constant reminder to her each time she opened her purse. In later centuries, especially the 18th and 19th centuries, coins were engraved with the sweethearts name or other images of affection. They were hand made; created by the young men to give to their sweethearts and in some instances were given by soldiers and sailors before they went abroad in case they were to die. They were simple to make. The coin was rubbed down, until the details of the coin design had been removed. The man then engraved or stamped his own pattern and wording onto the blank disc.
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