Jetones medievales con el escudo de Navarra [Medieval Jettons with the shield of Navarre]

Abstract

Jettons are coin-shaped pieces which were used for counting in simple mathematical operations. The absence of precise information in the legends is the main difficulty when wishing to ascribe these pieces to a particular period. Although generally the legends that appear on these jetones have a religious character, at other times they are allusions to their use as counting tools, while fictitious and nonsense legends can also be found. In Navarre, jettons were introduced by the French dynasties, the oldest of them, anepigraphic, being attributed to Jeanne I after her marriage to Philip IV of France in 1284. Hundred forty-eight medieval pieces are described, some unpublished. The jettons described are the shield of Navarre alone, or attached to Champagne...