Victorian Love Tokens

There are gigabytes of Pinterest boards devoted to modern-day gifts of affection, but none of them come close to touching my heart like these Victorian-era love tokens.

Love tokens were coins, actual metal denominations, that were taken out of circulation and hand-engraved an an initial, special date or endearment and given to a bretrothed, mother, father or sibling.

One side was usually smoothed or sanded down, while the other often maintained the indicia of the denomination. Many of them have a hole bored through the metal to allow someone to wear it on a cord around their neck or often as a bracelet. The initials and lettering reflect common themes in victorian style, but are rendered somewhat roughly in their elegance.

Much thanks to the Love Token Society (great name, right?) for background information.