Brass reckoning counter, or jetton, of 'Venus penny' type
Low Countries, 1534
Reckoning counters, or jettons, in the European equivalent of the abacus. Up to the later Middle Ages, Roman numerals were still in regular use and were difficult to deal with in calculations. The jettons were laid out in rows on a checker-board or cloth - hence the modern 'Exchequer' - and were used for reckoning accounts or sums of money. The 'Venus pennies' were a popular series of jettons that circulated among the merchant classes during the first half of the 16th century. They were essentially made for the merchants of Antwerp during the period when that city was a flourishing commercial centre and many made their way to London in the course of trade. The obverse depicts the Austro-Burgundian shield whilst the reverse shows a standing woman ('Venus') facing with long flowing hair tied by a bow and wearing only a drape.
