Jetton Público Deposited
A counter which can be traced in France to the thirteenth century. Some of the earliest types bear the inscription " de la chambre des comptes," and later issues have portraits, fleurs de lis, the makers' names, etc.
The name is derived from the verb " jeter " to throw, to cast. The pieces orig- inally served the same purpose as the Rechenpfennige (q.v.). They were first struck in copper, brass, and other base metals, but at a later period when they were intended as gifts, Ihey were fre- quently made of silver and gold.
Tournay was one of the chief manufac- turing places of Jetons during the fif- teenth and sixteenth centuries.
- Frey's Dictionary (American Journal of Numismatics, Vol. 50, 1916)