Coin-shaped Pilgrimage Badge — Shield Of France, 15th Century — Medieval, Gothic, Middle Ages

Rare coin-shaped pilgrimage badge made of pewter, circular in shape, featuring on the obverse the Shield of France crowned with three fleurs-de-lis.

This badge directly replicates the design of the French coins known as “blancs guénars,” which were minted during the reign of Charles VI (1380–1422). As is common with medieval coin-shaped insignia, the coin design has been repurposed here for a devotional function: the coin’s legend has been replaced by the pious inscription “AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA ,” the formula of the Angelic Salutation.

Coin-shaped pilgrimage badges attest to how familiar people in the Middle Ages were with the coins in circulation. Several types of coins were thus imitated on badges intended to be worn on clothing. These small objects, serving both as pilgrimage souvenirs and devotional items, were also believed to possess protective and propitiatory powers; wearing them was associated with the pursuit of fortune, prosperity, and abundance.

The reverse side features no figurative decoration. It displays several diamond-shaped motifs, characteristic of many medieval insignia. These reliefs correspond to the marks left by the clamshell mold used to make the insignia.

Also visible on the reverse is an iron concretion, a particularly interesting remnant of the former fastening system: it corresponds to the location of the iron pin that was once used to attach the badge to clothing. The pin itself is now missing, but its imprint and traces of corrosion remain visible.

Through its iconography, devotional inscription, and imitation of a coin type from the reign of Charles VI, this badge offers an interesting insight into the intersection of numismatics, devotional practice, and medieval material culture.

Diameter: 3 cm

Price excludes shipping costs

Police Registry Ref.: A192

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