Usually there is some sort of sense to it. People have initials or names engraved. Sometimes it's something decorative. It doesn't always make sense but it's almost understandable. This one makes no sense. As I read it it says "Never be busted". There's a scratch that makes the middle word look like "bex" but it is definitely a scratch. So please let me know any thoughts on what it might mean or post any coins you have with interesting engraving.
I think it means along the line, "Keep Me and Never Go Broke". As long as you have 5 Francs in silver (about equal to a U.S. Silver Dollar), you had some money, and hence, "not busted".
I hadn’t thought of that. Sounds reasonable to me but still odd to have it in English on a French coin.
Money is money. England didn't really have any circulating large silver coins like other European countries.
For many years "DEFACING" American coins was a crime. Many people covered their ass by using foreign coins. Others ignored the law and counter stamped any coins they got. I don't recall anyone being charged with defacing coins and only a few charged with defacing currency. They later probably based more on what they said than what they did.
I overstruck some Canadian Cents and Dollars several years ago, then found out it was illegal. I guess you can't mutilate the portrait of the Queen. I don't know if the RCMP would prosecute, but it is illegal, like spitting on the sidewalk in some states.
If you do an ebay search for "counter stamp" most of the Canada and England pieces are struck across the royal portrait. I routinely wade through the 700+ listings to log unlisted marks.
I agree with this theory. As to English engraving on French coins, I've seen it, even if you exclude the many trench art carvings done during WW1. Below is a 5-franc piece I have. It doesn't have a colorful saying like yours (wish it did) but I like the contrasting CircCam toning on it. It has the name "Frank H Green" engraved, which is a very American-sounding name. The lettering style is similar to your piece. I suspect both were engraved in the high Victorian era (ca. 1870s to 1890s, when love tokens were at their most fashionable). My theory is that engraved coins like these were very popular souvenirs for American tourists who visited Europe in that period. The use of the word "busted" on your piece also has a very American sound to it. Here's Frank H Green, on a slightly earlier host coin:
Given the date a case could be made that this was a civil war ID tag. Most likely for a soldier in a Louisiana unit. Some of those sold by union sutlers left spaces for the unit ID.
A port city with a French history would make sense. It would be an interesting research project to find a Frank H. Green in the Crescent City.
Re: The 1838 French coin: These coins circulated in America as money. In 1891 two prospectors near California's Donner Lake found a cache of silver coins which had been buried by a member of the Donner Party in 1847. Included were two French silver five franc coins dated 1838. From Numismatic Finds of the Americas, John M. Kleeberg, American Numismatic Society, New York, 2009 Newman Numismatic Portal https://www.archive.org/stream/numismaticfindso00klee#page/196/mode/2up
Good point. That coin could very well have traveled across the Atlantic without Frank H Green's assistance, and been acquired by him in the States. Assuming he was even an American. I don't know of too many non-American "Franks", though. It's sort of like non-British "Nigels" - they're out there, but not too common.
BTW, there's another French Louis Phillipe 5-franc love token on eBay. (It's at a fixed-price BIN of $75, though, so overpriced in my opinion.) It has an 1843 host coin and a 1909 engraving. The host coin is much higher grade than my 1838, but the engraving's not as interesting, since it's just initials (but there is an engraved date there). I think @H8_modern's coin has the most interesting engraving of the trio, of course.
Beautiful penmanship in those long ago coin engravings. Remind's me of those ornate monograms jewelers used to engrave on silver pocket watches. I wonder if jewelers still do those kinds of engraving.
