posted 07-15-2013 07:31 PM            

Thanks to Paul's thread on Love Tokens I was able to identify the charms on this bracelet as such. I believe this is silver - perhaps not the highest quality. It does have a maker's mark on the clasp, but the wear is such that it is unreadable.

The coins used are all Norwegian Oscar II circa. 11 10 Ore, 1 25 Ore and 3 50 Ore. This bracelet belonged to my husband's grandmother, born in 1889. The names on the back are mostly girl's names but also include "Mama" and "Papa." I believe the coins are too organized to have been collected one at a time and more likely represent a gift presented by a group at a specific time. The coins were in circulation ~1884 - 1904.

One of my questions is - for those who know more about Love Tokens - is it more likely that the gift was made when the coins were in circulation or after?

And, does my theory sound accurate that this might have been a one-time gift instead of a collection. I have no idea of the value of something like this at the time it might have been given. Is it too extravagant for a birthday? Does it fit a confirmation? Would it more likely be a farewell gift when the owner and her husband immigrated to America? That would have been in 1919 when she was 29. Is this a gift of a married woman?

All thoughts and opinions from those who know more about this are greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

posted 07-17-2013 06:54 PM            

...Now to see if anyone knows much about this type of jewelry!

posted 07-18-2013 01:31 PM            

From the description and photo my first hypothesis is that it could be a farewell present rather than love tokens. Love tokens tended to be one at a time gifts from one lover to another and they typically have either wording or symbology or both indicating such love.

The reasons I think it could be a going away gift are:

1. as you say the coins seem to be all of a similar kind and approximately the same age and so were likely engraved in a single timeframe;
2. there is no indication of passionate love in either words or symbology on them;
3. they include the woman's mother and father;
4. when this woman left her home and friends in 1919 to go to America, I would guess that there was little expectation that she would be returning soon (if at all) as she and her husband were embarking on their new life in America. Everyone in her family and her closest friends could put their names on coins on this bracelet for a very modest cost and give it to her at her farewell party so she would always remember them in her new life far away; and,
5. if these coins were no longer in circulation by the time she emigrated they could have been readily available at minimal cost.

posted 07-20-2013 05:44 AM            

When I go to e-bay (and I think its fair that I refer to e-bay in this case) There is a lot of them German, English, a few Danish but a fair Collection of American.

But in Europe - not many.

This makes me draw the conclusion that its a farewell present. Remember - in this case Norway ant the people WHO stayed at home and you are never to see Again.

In this pdf:
you can see prices from 1880 until 2004. In 1880 one kilo bread was 0,16 kr (16 øre) 1 beer 8 øre, 1/4 kilo butter 50 øre, 1 liter milk 6 øre, ½kilo of cofee 90 øre.

Hourly pay scollard labor was 27 øre and he worked 64 hours week.
So you see butter and cofee was very expensive.

The coins you have represented value. Mark that 1,00 kr and 2,00 kr was also in silver. And none of them used here. 1 kr would represent 4 hours of Work for a skilled labor. Most likely 6 hours or an unskilled -

My remark regarding e-bay. I think that these coins are farewell gifts Remember me - and that the concept of love tokens was brought to America with them. Because in Europe they are very rare.

Also remember the remarks of costs/wages - 10 øre is equal to 50 grams of butter or ½ kilo of bread.

In my mind that's an awful lot of Money -
Therefor you do not see 1 kr or 2 kr. That would be much much to give away for a poor Family.

Also the love tokens represented a security. In case Things get roof - use the coins to survive. Be sure that its silver alright. The grade is 830 or 826 which was the standard. (a standard defined 300 years before anyone even had a dream of Columbus discovering US - so rest a sure that its silver) And silver as a rescue if everything went wrong away from home.

Rest a sure that this bracelet was treasured by the original owner. It represented something that you cannot even dream of.

I our world of 2013 - that way of thinking is antique. And no longer relevant - in 1900 very much realistic.

posted 07-20-2013 11:41 AM            

We love silver. Silver is for keeping and for long time saving. Silver keeps its value and no matter how economy goes - silver keeps its value. You save your silver for a Rainy day or for times to get toof. Even in those conditions you do not sell your silver because it can always get worse. And you know what you have so you can get food on the table tomorrow. Thats the atttude, you save for hard times and times can always be toffer.
People WHO sell their ansisters silver on e-bay have never understood this. The value of silver as a ressource.

The value of silver is more than monetarry. Its a way to secure you and your Family. Buttons at your jacket, spoons, beakers ... all we use for sawings.

Does the value of the bracelet start to become real?

Silver is for keeping because times can always get toof. And tomorrow can be worse than today.

Now this is off topic. Long off topic, but its difficult to understand what was the walue? in given times?
Can I have some more? Oliver Twist ask when Dickens describe the poor during the Victorian times. But how was it? We cannot know, , emotional and economical your husbonds ansister have felt in 1919. I have this feeling and therefore I say all the love tokens at e-bay. Hae sellers understood what feeling they are selling for peanuts?

posted 07-22-2013 10:18 AM            

Kimo - I guess I've seen "love tokens" on the internet refer to any love relationship - not just romantic - and that is why I continued it here.

Hose_dk - Your thoughts on the value of this are very meaningful to me. I hadn't thought of this farewell gift as a means for "if things get too hard" but I'm sure there was implication of that being available as a last resort. I've shared other pieces of this family silver that they brought over with them, including a sterling tea and coffee set, many loose pieces of beautiful sterling serving pieces, so I know that this family treasured and valued their silver. I also believe - because of how much of it there is - that they were probably a wealthy family. Not that they didn't know hard work. The father represented on this bracelet owned the Oslo Hotel - according to a letter we have that he sent his daughter on hotel stationary.

I, too, was raised to know and appreciate the value of silver. When I was 6 or 7, my parents started my collection of silver flatware - Grande Baroque - and I've loved collecting it ever since. My husband often teases me that now that we've come to inherit all his family's silver, our marriage is a sure thing - I might divorce him, but I'd never risk losing the silver! ;-)

posted 07-22-2013 03:10 PM            

Thanks for the interesting discussion.

I am also trying out the new Picture Trail site.