Token Medieval Netherlands Charles V success against French and Turks 1544

Charles V (1500-1558) was emperor of the Holy Roman empire, king of Spain (as Charles I), and archduke of Austria (as Charles I). He inherited a Spanish and Habsburg empire extending across Europe from Spain and the Netherlands to Austria and the Kingdom of Naples and reaching overseas to Spanish America. He struggled to hold his empire together against the growing forces of Protestantism, increasing Ottoman and French pressure, and even hostility from the pope.

This is a copper jeton (token) celebrating victory over the French and Turks using the words of Psalm 149: ad faciendam vindictam in nationibus, ad alligandos reges eorum in compedibus, to be avenged of the heathen: to bind their kings in chains. Today, thankfully, we do not take this literally, but figuratively in the fight of good over evil.

The gruesome scene on the nationibvs side shows Infidelity (the woman) slain by the Empire (the double-headed eagle).

The piece is rare and commands good value. They appear on the auction block once in a while, and garner catalog values as follows:

worn: $100 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $350
well preserved: $700

The example in the large picture below is in great shape. It sold for 380 euros (about $420 US dollars) during a 2007 auction by Jean Elsen & ses Fils in Brussels.

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