As with all items in this collection, this artifact is certified authentic and will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance, detailing typology, dating, region, and collection history.
Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem Silver Token 1200AD
Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance
This medieval silver token originates from the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and is accompanied by a lifetime authenticity guarantee. The piece was acquired from a European antiquities collection and represents a genuine artifact of the Latin Christian presence in the Holy Land during the High Middle Ages. Objects of this class circulated in the Levant during the Crusader occupation and are valued both for their historical associations and their connection to the Latin Kingdom established after the First Crusade.
Item Details
Object Type: Silver Token / Pilgrimage or Trade Token
Culture: Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem
Date: circa 1200AD
Material: Silver
Weight: 2.49 g
Diameter: 17.1 mm
Region: Holy Land
Historical Description
During the period of Crusader rule in the Levant (1099–1291), the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem developed a complex monetary and devotional culture influenced by both Western European and Near Eastern traditions. In addition to official coinage such as the well-known Crusader deniers of Jerusalem and Antioch, small silver and billon pieces were produced or circulated that served a variety of purposes including pilgrimage tokens, devotional badges, and occasionally local commercial tallies.
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land was one of the defining experiences of medieval Christian society. Thousands of pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem to visit sacred sites associated with the life of Christ. Small tokens such as this example were often obtained as souvenirs of the journey, devotional objects, or symbolic proofs of pilgrimage. Their compact size allowed them to be carried easily on the person, sewn into clothing, or worn as pendants.
These objects also reflect the fusion of cultures present in the Crusader states. Latin Christian iconography and Western monetary traditions interacted with the long-standing economic systems of the Eastern Mediterranean. Silver tokens of this scale frequently resemble small deniers or devotional jetons and may have been struck locally or adapted from circulating coinage types.
Artifacts like this are tangible witnesses to the Crusader presence in the Holy Land and the vibrant religious, commercial, and cultural exchanges that characterized the medieval Levant during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
Authentication
The token exhibits fabric, weight, and silver composition consistent with medieval Levantine silver pieces associated with Crusader circulation. Surface patination, wear patterns, and strike characteristics correspond with hand-struck medieval production methods. The style and module closely match small Crusader devotional or commercial tokens known from archaeological contexts in the Holy Land and surrounding regions.
Museum Parallels
Comparable Crusader tokens and pilgrimage badges are preserved in major institutional collections:
The British Museum, London – Crusader devotional tokens and jetons from the Levant, Medieval Collections, accession group 1856,0701 series.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem – Crusader-period pilgrimage objects and tokens recovered from Jerusalem excavations, numismatic collection IMJ 76.8.1743.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York – Medieval pilgrimage tokens associated with Holy Land pilgrimages, accession number 1991.126.12.
Academic References
Metcalf, D. M. Crusades and Crusader Coinage. London, 1995.
Malloy, Preston & Seltman. Coins of the Crusader States. New York, 1994.
Folda, Jaroslav. Crusader Art in the Holy Land. Cambridge University Press.
Kedar, Benjamin. The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Historical Overview.
Condition
Well preserved medieval silver token with clear fabric and attractive age patina. Minor irregularities typical of hand-struck medieval production. Overall a strong and historically appealing example.
ANO1