Detamble & Brown

amandasautopsies:

 In medieval times, until at least the late 16th century, it was customary for a man to bend a copper coin and give it to his sweetheart as a token of his love and intention of marriage. They were never spent and were always carried by the woman as a demonstration of her loyalty and as a constant reminder to her each time she opened her purse. There was a difference between the good luck symbols and those given as love tokens however. Those bent to bring financial luck were usually just simply bent through the centre, whereas those made for love were usually bowed or even cup shaped. The first settlers also took these customs to America and they survived into the 19th century. 

In later centuries, especially the 18th and 19th centuries, coins were still used as love tokens. They were hand made; created by the young men to give to their sweethearts and in some instances were given by soldiers and sailors before they went abroad in case they were to die. These examples though were always flat. The poorer working classes usually made there love tokens from copper coins, although these were occasionally saved so a silver coin could be obtained.