In aluminum, 28.8 mm wide, weighs 2.5 g. The obverse shows an inscription "Peter the Great" and a detailed image of the equestrian monument in honor of Emperor Peter I which was installed in Riga in 1910. On the reverse is a raised inscription "In Memory of the 200th Jubilee of the Annexation of Lifland by Russia, 1710-1910".

Excellent condition. The jetton is completely free of edge knocks, significant scratches or other damage, and has only some tiny contact marks. There is a minimal wear to the raised points of the lettering and artwork, but the details are still very well pr

In aluminum, 28.8 mm wide, weighs 2.5 g. The obverse shows an inscription "Peter the Great" and a detailed image of the equestrian monument in honor of Emperor Peter I which was installed in Riga in 1910. On the reverse is a raised inscription "In Memory of the 200th Jubilee of the Annexation of Lifland by Russia, 1710-1910".

Excellent condition. The jetton is completely free of edge knocks, significant scratches or other damage, and has only some tiny contact marks. There is a minimal wear to the raised points of the lettering and artwork, but the details are still very well preserved and crisp.

An unusual aspect of this piece is that it is made of aluminum. Discovered in 1825, the metal was initially hard to extract and until mid- to late XIX C. considered a rare precious material more expensive than gold and a status symbol (Napoleon III famously replaced some of his gold tableware with that in cast aluminum). By 1910, the cost of its production had dropped precipitously but the metal was still something of a novelty.

The monument depicted on the jetton had a convoluted history. It was conceived in 1908 to commemorate the bicentenary of the capture of Riga by the Russian troops from Sweden in the Great Northern War. The equestrian statue was installed two years later in time for the anniversary of Peter's capture of all of Lifland (aka Livonia) that became a Russian province spanning the territory of today's Latvia and southern Estonia. During WWI, the monument was lost at sea to an attack of a German destroyer during an attempted evacuation into the Russian interior. In 1934, it was found and recovered by scuba divers and then largely forgotten until the 1990s. In 2001, the monument was reinstalled in a Riga's park after being restored and donated to the city by a Russian philanthropist, only to be promptly removed once again. Currently it reportedly decorates a private residence in Jurmala.

Please note, the penny in our photo is for size reference.
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