THE “NACH AMERIKA” TOKENS OF NUREMBERG

C. Wyllys Betts in his famous 1894 book, American Colonial History Illustrated by Contemporary Medals, looked far and wide for examples of American colonial history shown in medals, tokens and even lead seals. His studies led him to not only American produced medals and tokens, but those of Britain, France, Netherlands, The Holy Roman Empire, Scandanavia, Germany and Spain, as well as the American colonies of those European powers.

However, he neglected to turn his attention to the City of Nuremberg in South Germany. If he had, he might have discovered some of the most remarkable of the colonial-themed tokens, the “NACH AMERIKA” jetons of the period 1774-1777 by guildmaster Johann Georg Kunstmann.

The first jeton bears a typical crudely engraved bust of Louis XVI on the obverse, the second, a slightly more elegant bust of Elizabetha of Russia with the legend “ELISA – BATHA”. On the reverse of both is a sailing ship heading left (west) and is clearly from the same reverse die. Again, this is a very non-descript and very common style used by multiple masters of the time. Both are tiny – 19.5 mm and .97 gr. But what makes these two types very different than any of the tens of thousands of different known Nuremberg jeton types is the reverse legend above the ship – “.NACH . AMERIKA” – “To America.”

Kunstmann’s Louis XVI “NACH . AMERIKA” Jeton

Kunstmann’s ELISA – BATHA “NACH . AMERIKA” Jetonhoto # 6 ob

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