Real coin or pieced together?

[Travis Hale]

Has dates on both sides.

[Just Bob]

I hesitate to respond to any of your threads, due to the combative nature of some of your earlier posts, and the strangeness of others. But, for the sake of future readers of this forum, I will pass along this information:

This is an Irish one penny token, issued by grocer Edward Bewley in 1816, and it commemorates the end of the Peninsula War in 1814, and particularly the victory by General Wellington in the battle of Vitoria.

It is copper, 33mm, and the lettering under the bust - I.PARKES - is the engraver's name.

 

Here is a link to the token in W.J.Davis' token book CLICK HERE

Here is a link to more info on  Numista CLICK HERE

Link to a recent (March 6, 2019) auction Click me

And an informative Wikipedia article on the Battle of Vitoria is RIght Here

 

[Mohawk]

Well said on all counts, Bob. 

[Travis Hale]

Thank you very much Bob for your response. Appreciate it.

[Travis Hale]

Bob, you ever see these two before? Jw.

ty

[Crawtomatic]

The top medal is interesting.  Either "First Place" or "First honorable mention" depending on the translation for 19th century French. From the northwest region of France, Morbihan specifically. 

You can see a copy of similar blanks on this page about 1/3 of the way down and then a little further: http://snl87.fr/medailles/mjhaute-vienne.htm  One is for the horticulture society and the other for the education system.  By the way, argent translates from old French to silver so weigh it up and if it's ~35-36grams then that's most likely the composition.

The design appears to be credited to Antoine Borel & A. (Auguste) Bescher.  Borel was an artist and engraver of the 19th century but he passed in 1810.  I'm presuming the dies were created, design edited, by the Bescher guy's company.  In a reference book dated through 1900 AD he's listed as a "Publisher of medals".

Antoine Borel artwork:  http://www.artnet.com/artists/antoine-borel/

Auguste Becher biography from this source:  https://quod.lib.umich.edu/g/genpub/AJK5386.0007.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext

BESCHER, AUGUSTE (B. D. M., vol. I, I904, p. I79). Florange calls him a Publisher ofmedals, and his name occurs as A. BESCHER EDITEUR on a Mining jeton of Vicoigne and Nceux (arr. of Bethune), struck at the Paris Mint in 1866. He was the successor of Honore de Longueil, and his business still exists, Rue du Pontde-Lodi, 5, Paris. He was born IS. March I84I. Bescher Senior died in Paris, and hisson, who succeeded him, died about 90o5. By him is also a medal of the Ecole d'accouchement de la HauteVienne, and another on Vaccination, Dept de l'Eure (signed: BESCHER). 

Sorry, it's been years since I read french and my search skills aren't as sharp.  The design is commonly used but I misread "de Vannes" as "de Viennes" - these are 2 different Departments (provinces) in France so I was thrown off.  At the bottom of your medal both obverse & reverse you'll see "Desaide*Roquelay" and "Desaide R", respectively.  This indicates the medals were minted at the Desaide-Roquelay Medal Mint.  I still think it has a silver appearance which would be within reason.  Appears they also completed medals in gold & copper/bronze.

Also, I felt I was very close to locating the actual winner for that year but...reading old French publications on meeting minutes, blah...

I like how as an agricultural medal the design element also includes the gears.  1863 would've been roughly 50 years after the industrial revolution started in France.  I'd doubt that the Borel engraver would've had that foresight prior to death to include gears so that may be one aspect of the design that was later added.

[Just Bob]

The second is an example of the official medal for the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo, held in Seattle, from June 1 through October 16, 1909. It was minted at the expo in several different metals, along with several other medals, watch fobs, etc. All are listed in Hibler and Kappen's book of so-called dollars. That one looks to be either HK 354 (Bronze) or HK 355 (Copper). 

My internet is very erratic tonight because of the stormy weather, so I will just provide a link to some more info here: So-calleddollar.com