1733 St. Martins Church Skull Token PCGS XF40

Item #CC-0623 | 1733 St. Martins Church Skull Token PCGS XF40
Mint: Maastricht
Assayer: Unknown, St. Martin’sChurch
Ruler/Period: 1733
Grade: XF40

For details and population on this coin from PCGS, click on the serial number here: 50456918

Description:

Skull and crossbones; star below // S MARTINI, Saint Martin riding horse left, head right, giving his cloak to a beggar to right. Edge: Minor split at one spot, and some typical waviness from the countermarks.

Minard 357. Deep brown surfaces, with a lighter brassy-yellow nature on the higher points; typical punch on each side (as intended). Rare and interesting. Exceeded in the PCGS census by just a single example.

Begrafenisloodje served multiple roles in the Low Countries during the 16th-19th centuries, acting as payment for gravediggers, pallbearers, or other funerary expenses, or acting as a commemorative for the funeral of the deceased—either to those attending the ceremonies or to the respective church in remembrance of the departed. Where they were utilized to indicate payment, a punch was generally placed upon one or both sides to act as a form of “cancellation” for the services rendered and payment received.