French royal brass jeton, Extraordinaire des Guerres, 1674
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1674
This French royal jeton is a historical accounting token dating to 1674, issued for the Extraordinaire des Guerres, the government office responsible for wartime expenditure management under the reign of Louis XIV.
Jetons served as tools for manual calculations on a lined cloth or board, a practice used in government counting-houses before the universal adoption of Arabic numerals; they were also occasionally distributed to officials as administrative honors. This specimen is struck in brass, featuring a rich golden patina consistent with its age. The obverse displays a finely modelled draped and cuirassed bust of King Louis XIV facing right, with the legend "LVD · XIIII · D · G · FR · ET · NAV · REX".
The reverse depicts a martial trophy of arms and armour accompanied by the motto "QVID · NON · IVNCTA · DOMANT", with the inscription "EXTRAORDINAIRE / DES GVERRES" and the date "1674" in the exergue. The token measures 25mm in diameter and weighs 5.4g, displaying strong relief on both sides.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Physical characteristics
- Weight
- 5.4g
- Diameter
- 25mm
- Material
- brass
Technical characteristics
- Reference
- Feuardent 738 var.
Design
- Obverse
- Draped and cuirassed bust of Louis XIV facing right, legend "LVD · XIIII · D · G · FR · ET · NAV · REX"
- Reverse
- Martial trophy of arms and armour, motto "QVID · NON · IVNCTA · DOMANT", inscription "EXTRAORDINAIRE / DES GVERRES" and date "1674" in exergue
Identification
- Source note
- Described from a single auction-house listing published on Invaluable (reproduced with Invaluable's permission). Details apply to that one example; other examples of the type may differ, and the listing is supplementary evidence, not authentication.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.