Baptismal penny
A baptismal penny or a baptismal medal is an imprint to commemorate the day of baptism, which shows the name of the person to be baptized and the date of baptism or birth. Christening gifts of this kind were common in the 16th and early 17th centuries.
Christening pennies could later be worn on a necklace or tied into clothing. Later, baptismal pennies were replaced by monetary gifts, for example the baptism thaler (see also: Mint Gotha / the mint from 1650 to 1838, therein the first baptismal thalers ).
The baptismal pennies found contained the inscriptions “Johannes Drosendorf was baptized on April 4, 1589 in Bayreuth” or “Johannes Möller was born on March 9, 1599” (coin found in Löbsal ).
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- Magazine of the German Historical Museum (DHM); 6. Volume 17 Berlin, spring 1996
