Treizains de Mariage (French Marriage Coins)
The world of coin collecting is various and intricate, and I’ve only scratched its surface as a book binder in search of significant and appropriate talismans, so periodically, I step into a world within that world that is intriguing, and such is the tradition of treizains de mariage.
From the 5th century until around the time of World War I, the typical French (read: Catholic) wedding ceremony included the exchange of “marriage coins,” thirteen pieces of gold or silver struck with wedding motifs and provided by the groom for blessing by a priest and presentation to a bride. The thirteen symbolized the gentleman’s pledge to provide for the lady all twelve months of the year, with a bonus, “baker’s dozen” coin that symbolized the poor, or family and community that he would also nurture and support. The woman’s acceptance of the box of coins meant her tacit agreement to shepherd and guard her husband’s earnings in a frugal and economical manner.
As this was an expected part of the ceremony, jewelers provided typical treizains in a variety of standard motifs, usually a couple at altar, or a couple being blessed by a priest, sprinkled with holy water, or covered under a veil. On the back side, the marriage coins were elaborately engraved with the bride’s monogram, or less commonly, with the couple’s full names, date, and location of the wedding ceremony.
By tradition, each of the thirteen coins had to have intrinsic worth, so solid or gilt silver or gold. But they did not have to match one another, so it was common to mix the coins, taking some from the bride and groom’s ancestors along with new ones to round out the set. This brought home the message that each was marrying, not simply one another, but into a family and long tradition.
Treizans de mariage are ubiquitously available, but at a steep price compared to other medals, medallions, and souvenirs of the day. They are blessed objects, family history, and momentos of the unions that made generations. They are small and portable, easy to keep in the family, difficult to part with.
Because of their symbolism (providing for and protecting one another) and their history, they are ideal talismans in wedding albums, engagement books, wedding guest books, anniversary gifts, etc. We keep a handful of them in stock at High Class Booker because we enjoy collecting them and passing them on to clients.
Typical Treizain de Mariage coin
Books for bride and groom
Wedding guest book and photo album slip-cased set, each with a marriage coin embedded
Marriage coins in our collection