Miami Valley Coin Club

Valentine’s Day Romance & Coins

aka. Love Tokens

In this case, a love token is a coin that has been defaced, engraved to a sweetheart, and then mounted on a piece of jewelry. Love tokens became popular in the U.S. about the time of our Civil War.

Being the romantic entity that the Mint is, it blamed love tokens for a shortage of dimes in circulation. Seated Liberty dimes were the primary choice of lovers to use as love tokens, however anything from half dimes to $2.50 and $20 gold pieces were also used. The tokens were made into pins, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and even cufflinks.

One factor in the desirability of the love token is the denomination selected for the love token. Another important factor is the ornateness of the artwork involved. The more detailed and fancy the engraving, the more desirable the love token.

Like anything else in the hobby, there is a club for people interested in collecting love tokens. It is The Love Token Society (www.lovetokensociety.com). The club requires that the tokens be made from coins from circulation and must be hand engraved.

So, are you looking for a gift for your special loved one this Valentine’s Day? Consider giving him or her a love token. That way you can really be buying yourself another piece for your own coin collection… and be thanked for it!