Church tokens fron Kelveri

[aristonazir]

Today, i took in my hands two old tokens from Gelveri, nowadays the town of Güzelyurt in Cappadokia, Turkey. For more information about this town, see Kelveri,  Guzelyurt and The photographer of Gelveri.

At the end of 19th century, due to the lack of "small coins" in the Ottoman empire, many towns and individuals struck their own tokens just for local use. In Kelveri, a town in the area of Aksaray, the greek population struck their tokens, just for use in the town's church of St. Gregory. These tokens were equivalent to 5, 10 and 20 Paras. Here are two tokens, with the value of 20 and 5 Paras, which weight 0.56 and 0.82 gr.

[Figleaf]

You just made my day, Aristotle. The odds that these would survive are so small...

Peter

[aristonazir]

Yes, they were made of brass, and they are very, very thin. I think they were making them one piece at a time. I bought them from here.

The descendants of the Greeks who live there, now live in the towns of Nea Karvali, Thessaloniki and Athens. They often organize some trips to Cappadokia, and maybe some of them bring back those tokens.

Yiannis

[Afrasi]

The piece of 5 Para was the first issue. It shows Gregory. 5 Para could buy one candle light.

The second issue was the piece below. K E stands for Kelveri. The worth was 10 Para.

[Afrasi]

The third issue shows a 10 in a sunburst. The 0 of the 10 has a dot inside. So it is both Western and Arabic in one.

[Afrasi]

The fourth issue was in 1884. Below the piece of 10 Para:

[Afrasi]

The fifth issue containes the token shown by aristonazir at top of the thread. My example is shown below.
Above the 20 is a dove with a palm twig and a cross, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. So GREGORY should be Gregory of Nazianzus, who postulated the godness of the Holy Spirit.

Legend: G R. G.R.I.TH.L.G.E.K.B.R.

Literature: George A. Georgiopoulou: CAPPADOCIA - Church Tokens of the late 19th century, Athens, 2004.

[malj1]

A splendid collection!

[Figleaf]

This is better than being trampled by all the angels fitting on one pin. Why is it that the tokens of this parish apparently survived in some quantity? Or is there so little demand for them? I can't imagine...

Peter

[Afrasi]

There were most probably many more token series from other parishes in Cappadocia, but being broken or melted they didn't survive. 
These series from Gregory Church in Kelveri were found in two hoards at jewellers in boxes. These forgotten boxes helped much to preserve these tokens until today. 

[Figleaf]

Thank you, Afrasi. That does explain it very well.

Peter

[Afrasi]

Just found my piece of 5 Para of the first issue, the same type as Yiannis' token at top of the thread.
Probably it was stored wet, before getting into one of the boxes ...

The missing other pieces of these series I have only as scans. So I cannot show them here.

[aristonazir]

Very nice collection Afrasi. I'm planning to make a trip to Cappadokia in the summer, so maybe i'll add a few tokens in my collection . I've been in Istanbul and Minor Asia several times, but not in Cappadokia and Pontus.

[Afrasi]

I wish you all luck of the world to find some of them! And if you ever will get doubles, feel free to contact Malcolm, Peter and me! Me first ...     

[aristonazir]

I'll inform you if i do, Alexander. Here are two video's from Kelveri: here and here. Today, i shew these coins to a friend of mine, whose ancestors were from Cappadokia. She told me, if i go there, to bring a coin to her as a talisman for her newborn baby. I hope i'll find many of them.
Here is also a video with greek dances from the area of Cappadokia. See it here, after time 1:04:20. I used to dance traditional dances for many, many years, so i love them. Many of the Greeks from Cappadokia were turcophones, turkish-speaking people, orthodoxs in religion, who were writing their texts with greek characters! I give two examples with my photo's.