Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Token Finds by Mark G. |
I did some posts in which I showed some of my token finds. Mark G. is sharing his today. Here is what he said.
I have been watching your posts on Token finds and decided I had found enough tokens to share. They are not as old as some of your tokens, but I have been surprised by how many I have found. The photo has all the tokens I have found some require explanation. Let's start with the definition of token, I found 3 definitions, 2 of which apply here.
- A thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality, feeling, etc.
- A voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services, typically one given as a gift or forming part of a promotional offer
For the first definition, I have in the top left corner only 6 of 13 token marriage coins. The “13 token coins” refer to Las Arras, a traditional wedding ritual in Hispanic, Spanish, Latin American, and Filipino Catholic ceremonies.
In the middle is a large token I believe is a sobriety token the XLIV in the middle represents 44 days?
On the right-side row half way down, there is a token with just an angel on both sides IDK?
And the nickel with NRA stamped I think also falls into definition #1.
For definition number 2 it includes all the tokens the say no cash value and the NY subway token I did not find on the beach. I do have 1 for a car wash the rest are arcades I assume.
The token in the far left bottom corner interesting enough is from South Korea, I found it on a volley ball court in Stuart.
And finally, the Namco tokens, I find them around here and there but one day I found a honey hole coming home with 10 or more each time. There was a spot on the Intracoastal where I was just digging and digging in this one spot so much I had to stop digging them and move on.
Thanks for sharing Mark. Interesting bunch of finds.
A few decades ago I found an Alcoholics Anonymous token similar to the "sobriety token" Mark found. It, however, has a Roman numeral III in the middle and "To thine own self be true" motto around the rim. Here it is.
This one, like Mark's, has a hole for suspension.
After finding that one in a lake I wondered about the story behind it. Why was it in the lake? Maybe just an accidental drop.
These objects provide emotional support. They help the bearer refocus, remember and reset.
Another "prayer" token I found is the one below bearing a firefighter's prayer.
Moving on to Las Arras. In a 2015 TreasureBeachesReport post, I speculated about the possible connection between a group of Royals found on a 1715 wreck and the Las Arras for Queen Isabella.
Below is that part of the 2015 post.
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You've heard of the Queen's Jewels I'm sure, but have you heard of Isabella Farnese? Sometimes she is referred to as Elizabeth, which is an anglicized version of Isabella. Isabella married Philip V and became the real mover behind the throne.
One book about Isabella was written by Edward Armstrong in 1892. The title of the book is Termagant of Spain. Termagant' is defined as a harsh-tempered or over-bearing woman. That is NOT how Isabella was advertised to Philip, who married her by proxy after Queen Maria Luisa passed away.
Here is the link to Armstrong's book. It provides a lot of history - mostly after 1715.
https://archive.org/details/elisabethfarnes00armsgoog
And here is what Wikipedia says about the marriage of Isabella to Philip V.
Lost Histories, a book by Joel Levy written in 2006, says the following.
Did you catch that? She was married on Dec. 24, 1714, but refused to consummate the marriage until she received her dowry, which was being sent in eight chests on the Capitana.
I was thinking about the nine eight-escudo royals that were found this summer, and I wondered about their purpose and why so many were found together. Then I learned about the Spanish marriage tradition of las arras.
,
Here is what wikipedia says about that.
Las arras, or Las arras matrimoniales (English: arrhae, wedding tokens, or unity coins, are wedding paraphernalia used in Christian wedding ceremonies in Spain, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The tradition is also followed, with varying names and customs, in countries and communities bearing degrees of Hispanic influence. Traditionally, in Spain and Latin America, it is made up of thirteen gold coins presented in an ornate box or chest; in the Philippines, it is in an ornate basket or pouch. After being blessed by a priest, they are given or presented by the groom to the bride. (Links in this paragraph are not active.)
Marriage Customes of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding Traditions, by George Monger, 2013, says the following.
Fine gold coins were also sometimes given as earnest money in business relationships too.
It is nothing more than wild speculation without any convincing evidence to support it, but I can't think of any better reason for so many remarkable royals being together than a queen's dowry. I'm sure that Isabella would have demanded and received only the very finest.
If her dowry went down with the 1715 Fleet, was it salvaged and returned to her, or was there a substitute? There is a lot more research to do, but I feel pretty sure that Isabella received an impressive dowry of some sort before consummating the marriage.
One book about Isabella was written by Edward Armstrong in 1892. The title of the book is Termagant of Spain. Termagant' is defined as a harsh-tempered or over-bearing woman. That is NOT how Isabella was advertised to Philip, who married her by proxy after Queen Maria Luisa passed away.
Here is the link to Armstrong's book. It provides a lot of history - mostly after 1715.
https://archive.org/details/elisabethfarnes00armsgoog
And here is what Wikipedia says about the marriage of Isabella to Philip V.
Shortly after the death of Queen Maria Luisa in 1714, the King decided to marry again. His second wife was Elisabeth of Parma, daughter of Odoardo Farnese, hereditary Prince of Parma, and Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate. At the age of twenty-one, on 24 December 1714, she was married by proxy in Parma. The marriage was arranged by Cardinal Alberoni with the concurrence of the Princesse des Ursins, the Camarera Mayor ("chief of the household") of the king of Spain.
Lost Histories, a book by Joel Levy written in 2006, says the following.
Did you catch that? She was married on Dec. 24, 1714, but refused to consummate the marriage until she received her dowry, which was being sent in eight chests on the Capitana.
I was thinking about the nine eight-escudo royals that were found this summer, and I wondered about their purpose and why so many were found together. Then I learned about the Spanish marriage tradition of las arras.
,
Here is what wikipedia says about that.
Las arras, or Las arras matrimoniales (English: arrhae, wedding tokens, or unity coins, are wedding paraphernalia used in Christian wedding ceremonies in Spain, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The tradition is also followed, with varying names and customs, in countries and communities bearing degrees of Hispanic influence. Traditionally, in Spain and Latin America, it is made up of thirteen gold coins presented in an ornate box or chest; in the Philippines, it is in an ornate basket or pouch. After being blessed by a priest, they are given or presented by the groom to the bride. (Links in this paragraph are not active.)
Marriage Customes of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding Traditions, by George Monger, 2013, says the following.
If the nine royals were part of las arras, then there should be four more of them. Or maybe those royals had nothing to do with Isabella Farnese at all.
Fine gold coins were also sometimes given as earnest money in business relationships too.
It is nothing more than wild speculation without any convincing evidence to support it, but I can't think of any better reason for so many remarkable royals being together than a queen's dowry. I'm sure that Isabella would have demanded and received only the very finest.
If her dowry went down with the 1715 Fleet, was it salvaged and returned to her, or was there a substitute? There is a lot more research to do, but I feel pretty sure that Isabella received an impressive dowry of some sort before consummating the marriage.
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For obvious reasons, many Las Arras coins today are symbolic plated coins.
I knew I had done that post but couldn't find it until I queried Copilot on the subject of Queen Isabella and Las Arras, which gave me the Treasure Beaches Report link as the only documented online source for that connection.
I've often complained that one of the problems with my blogs is the difficulty of finding specific posts. Maybe I'll find that AI provides a solution for that.
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Nothing new with the weather or beach conditions.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net