Jeton identification: Nuremberg reckoning counters and how to date them

A thin brass disc. A rose with crowns round it on one side, an orb on the other, and a legend you can’t read.

That’s a jeton. Nuremberg mass-produced them, and they turn up on fields all over Britain.

What a jeton was for

Before Arabic numerals, sums were done with counters on a board marked out in squares, a bit like an abacus. The word exchequer means chessboard. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is named after the chequered table his predecessors sat at.

Columns stood for pounds, shillings and pence. You laid counters in the squares, moved them down, and swapped every twelve pennies for a shilling and every twenty shillings for a pound.

The counters were jetons, from the French jeter, to cast or throw. You’ll also see them called jettons, reckoning counters or casting counters.

A quick timeline

Early English jetons

The first English jetons, from about 1280, look a lot like Edward I pennies. Many carry a king’s bust struck from the same punches used for the coin dies.

They’re brass, so they couldn’t pass as silver. To stop anyone plating them and spending them, they were pierced or dented in the centre. That central hole or dimple is a good sign you’ve got an early English jeton rather than a penny. See our hammered coins guide to compare.

By the mid 14th century, English jetons were bigger, about the size of a groat. Some read GARDE ROBE REGIS, after the king’s Wardrobe, so they’re known as wardrobe counters. French competition ended English production by the end of that century.

Nuremberg jetons

Nuremberg became the main supplier of cheap, mass-produced jetons in the late 15th century. By the mid 16th century its makers had cornered the English market.

These are the types UKDFD lists as most often found in Britain:

The Rose/Orb is by far the commonest. UKDFD reckons it accounts for well over half of all Nuremberg jetons found. Expect minor varieties of every type, and odd pairings of sides.

Reading the legend

On most Nuremberg jetons, one side names the maker and the town: name IN NVRENBERG, spelt and shortened every which way. Hans Krauwinckel II alone appears as HANNS KRAVWINCKEL IN N, IN NV, IN NVR, IN NVRNB and more.

The other side usually has a motto, mostly in German. Some common ones, with UKDFD’s translations:

Don’t be surprised by gibberish. Many jetons, especially early ones, carry fictitious legends: strings of letters that mean nothing. Others are badly blundered, or even mirror-image.

Dating by maker

If you can read a name, you can narrow the date. A selection of Nuremberg masters from UKDFD:

Plenty of jetons are anonymous. Some can be pinned to a maker by style or private marks; many can’t. For a full study, UKDFD points to Michael Mitchiner’s Jetons, Medalets & Tokens.

After the counting board

Written sums took over during the 17th century. Jetons carried on in three forms until at least the end of the 19th century:

• brass gaming counters, for the growing gaming houses;
• silver presentation pieces, often New Year gifts to government staff;
• historical medalets, marking events or making a political point.

Treasure and recording

The Treasure Act Code of Practice says “coin” excludes jettons and reckoning counters. So a group of brass jetons isn’t a coin hoard. A silver jeton over 300 years old could still be Treasure as an object, and since July 2023 the 2023 significance class can catch a metal find over 200 years old if it’s exceptionally significant. See what counts as treasure.

Jetons are worth recording with your Finds Liaison Officer, especially early English ones. Lead counters and tokens are a different family: see our lead token chart. More object guides are in the Find ID drawer.

FAQ

Is a jeton a coin?

No. Jetons were counters used to do sums on a chequered board or cloth, like beads on an abacus. They were made of brass so they couldn't be confused with silver coins. Early English ones were even pierced or dented in the middle so no one could plate them and pass them off as pennies.

How do I date a Nuremberg jeton?

Find the maker's name in the legend, usually in the form ‘name IN NVRENBERG’, then check when that master worked. Hans Krauwinckel II, for example, became master in 1586 and died in 1635. Anonymous jetons with nonsense legends are common too, especially early ones.

What does the writing on my jeton mean?

Usually it's the maker's name on one side and a motto on the other, mostly in German. GOTES SEGEN MACHT REICH means ‘God's blessing maketh rich’. GLVCK KVMBT VON GOT ALEIN means ‘Good fortune comes from God alone’. Many early jetons have meaningless strings of letters.

Is it jeton or jetton?

Both spellings are used. The word comes from the French ‘jeter’, to cast or throw. Collectors also call them reckoning counters or casting counters.

Are jetons Treasure?

Not as coins. The Treasure Act Code of Practice says ‘coin’ excludes jettons and reckoning counters. A jeton could still be Treasure in rare cases, for example a silver one over 300 years old, or under the 2023 class for exceptionally significant metal finds over 200 years old.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 2 November 2026.

1. UK Detector Finds Database, “Nuremberg Jetons” (2005), citing M. Mitchiner, Jetons, Medalets & Tokens, vol. 1, G. Berry, Medieval English Jetons, and J. Furner, The Searcher (February 2001). www.ukdfd.co.uk/pages/nuremberg-jetons.html
2. DCMS, The Treasure Act 1996 Code of Practice (3rd revision, 2023), GOV.UK. www.gov.uk/government/publications/treasure-act-1996-code-of-practice-3rd-revision