Dear SRukke and Board,
It belongs to a group of "
Venus penny jetons" that are apparently common finds in
Britain:
https://www.rodblunt.com/nuremberg-jetons-typesMichael
Mitchiner seems to have a
fair amount to say about them in
his book,
Jetons, Medalets & Tokens: The medieval period and Nuremberg (1988), including their regular appearance in the mud of the Thames River.
However, according to one
French dealer, who is offering a piece very similar to your friend's (if it is not an exact match), the variety in question may be rather
rare, especially in the condition that it is in. Attached are the seller's images and what follows is
his description (please ignore the date given):
Jeton à la Vénus. Gand. 1567.
A/ * WER* VERLONE* SCHVLD: RECH: DVT. Dans un polylobe fleuri, Vénus debout de face tenant une écharpe et une urne.
R/ * DER: HAT: SELDEN: EIN: GVTEN: MWT. Écu écartelé accosté d’arabesques et surmonté de la (date).
Cuivre. 7,55 g. 33,0 mm. 9 h.
F.14496.
RR. TTB+.
Légères variations de légende au revers par rapport au Feuardent. Très bel exemplaire de ce rare jeton de compte avec les légendes complètesThe reference cited is volume three of Félix-Bienaimé Feuardent's
Jetons et méreaux depuis Louis IX jusqu'à la fin du Consulat de Bonaparte, published in 1915 and sadly not online yet according to what I have been able to discover so far.
Mitchiner lists the maker of "F.14496" as "Anonymous."
Hope some of this helps!
Best regards,
Mark Fox
Michigan
